Industrial control: set-points for 2010

Control is a core enabling technology for industry. It underpins many economically related factors including quality, efficiency and safety. In recent years, additional pressures have arisen from the globalization of markets and the world wide concern for environmental issues. These pressures will lead to increased emphasis on control in the future. Also, the technologies underpinning control science are presently undergoing rapid development. Thus the stage is set for a period of change. This paper gives a personal reflection on where the field might go over the next few years and suggests some possible research directions. Key factors underpinning control science include technological developments (sensors, actuators, communications and computing), the theory of design (identification, and constraint management), performance assessment (fundamental limitations and architectural issues) and condition monitoring (fault diagnosis and adaptation). The paper will briefly touch on a selection of these issues. At times, we also present some supporting analysis where the topic happens to coincide with a current personal research interest.