Distributed Control Theory for Biological and Cyberphysical Systems

Citation

Li, Jing Shuang (Lisa) (2024) Distributed Control Theory for Biological and Cyberphysical Systems. Dissertation (Ph.D.), California Institute of Technology. doi:10.7907/p3k0-rv78. https://resolver.caltech.edu/CaltechTHESIS:07062023-214417026

Abstract

In engineering, control theory plays a crucial role in the design and analysis of robust and efficient systems --- including robots, spacecraft, and power grids. In biology, control theory underlies sensorimotor and locomotion models of organisms. Distributed control is particularly useful for large-scale cyber-physical systems and also in biological systems, where communication is more limited than in engineered counterparts. In this thesis, I provide a number of theoretical advances in distributed control theory on the relationship between communication within controllers vs. closed-loop behavior in both the online and offline settings, on the application of distributed methods to robust control, and on necessarily information flow within controllers subject to communication constraints. I then discuss the applications of these theoretical advances to the primate cortex, as well as to sensorimotor models of drosophila locomotion. Overall, the contributions outlined in this thesis facilitate modeling techniques and insights that were previously unavailable.

Thesis Files