Guest talk by Prof. Daniel Quevedo
Abstract:
The use of machine learning techniques for control has gained increasing attention in recent years. Learning-based estimation and control holds the promise of enabling the solution of problems that are difficult or even intractable using traditional control design techniques. Despite significant progress, several issues, e.g., in relation to stability guarantees, robustness and computational cost, remain. This talk presents some of our recent work on networked control systems with uncertainties and illustrates how posterior sampling techniques can be used for their design. We focus on a basic architecture where sensor measurements and control signals are transmitted over lossy communication channels that introduce random packet dropouts. At any time instant, one out of several available channels can be chosen for transmission. Since channel dropout probabilities are unknown, finding the best channel requires learning from transmission outcomes. We study a scenario where both learning of the channel dropout probabilities and control are carried out simultaneously. Coupling between learning dynamics and control system dynamics raises challenges in relation to stability and performance. To facilitate fast learning we propose to select channels using Bayesian posterior sampling, also called Thompson Sampling. This talk elucidates conditions that guarantee that the resulting system will be stochastically stable and characterises performance in terms of the control regret.
Bio:
Daniel Quevedo received Ingeniero Civil Electrónico and MSc degrees from Universidad Técnica Federico Santa María, Valparaíso, Chile, in 2000, and in 2005 the PhD degree from the University of Newcastle, Australia. He is Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at The University of Sydney. Prior to his current appointment, he was with Queensland University of Technology in Brisbane and with Paderborn University Germany, where he established and led the Chair in Automatic Control.
Daniel's research interests are in networked control systems, cyberphysical and human systems, cyberphysical security and control of power converters. He serves as Associate Editor for IEEE Transactions on Control of Networked Systems, for IEEE Control Systems and in the Editorial Board of the International Journal of Robust and Nonlinear Control. From 2015 to 2018 he was Chair of the IEEE Control Systems Society Technical Committee on Networks & Communication Systems. In 2003 he received the IEEE Conference on Decision and Control Best Student Paper Award and was also a finalist in 2002. Prof Quevedo is co-recipient of the 2018 IEEE Transactions on Automatic Control George S Axelby Outstanding Paper Award. He is a Fellow of the IEEE.