A broad perspective of the many potential applications of variable structure control (VSC) are presented in this volume. Numerous interesting practical industrial application problems in a multitude of engineering fields are reviewed. The application studies featured are primarily in the areas of robotics and aerospace systems. Sliding mode which is currently experiencing a wide multidisciplinary appeal in other areas of control engineering is also discussed. Three basic categories of material are analysed: The first group of chapters analyse the basic design principles and future directions for engineering applications. The second group focuses on robotics applications. The third group is devoted to aerospace, and more specifically spacecraft control design problems. The number of researchers participating in this field has increased exponentially worldwide. Breakthroughs in the theoretical domain, and more fascinating industrial control applications are just around the corner. The papers in this volume will help to further inspire practicing control engineers in examining and evaluating the merits of variable structure control (VSC) and sliding mode from their own respective domains of applications.
