Mechanical feedback linearization of single-input mechanical control systems

TL;DR

This paper introduces a novel mechanical feedback linearization method for single-input mechanical control systems that preserves their structure and provides verifiable conditions for implementation.

Contribution

It proposes a new feedback linearization approach specifically designed for mechanical systems, maintaining their structure and offering practical verification methods.

Findings

Established necessary and sufficient conditions for mechanical feedback linearization.

Demonstrated the approach with several illustrative examples.

Abstract

We present a new type of feedback linearization that is tailored for mechanical control systems. We call it a mechanical feedback linearization. Its basic feature is preservation of the mechanical structure of the system. For mechanical systems with a scalar control, we formulate necessary and sufficient conditions that are verifiable using differentiations and algebraic operations only. We illustrate our results with several examples.