Control based on patterns in state space

Control theory deals with the analytical design of controllers for the precise control of dynamical systems using the concept of the state. However, in a variety of control contexts, control decisions have to be made based upon patterns. The latter differs from the former in that the same control is used whenever the observed pattern belongs to a certain class. In other words, no distinction is made between patterns within the same class as far as control is concerned. This makes the control less accurate than conventional feedback control, but substantially simpler and hence attractive in many practical applications. In this paper the results of some initial attempts to address the questions that arise in such cases are presented.