Modeling hybrid systems as the limit of discrete computational processes

Abstract

This paper outlines a new formalism for hybrid systems in which continuous dynamics are represented as the limit of a discrete computational process. Hybrid systems are systems which are composed of continuous and discrete components. Such systems often arise in robotics where operations in the continuous real world are controlled by a discrete software system. Most existing hybrid formalisms treat their continuous and discrete components as distinct types of process. This new approach brings the two together and provides a platform for the investigation of the transition between continuous change and discrete events.