Arjan van der Schaft
Papers
15
Total Citations
342
H-Index
10
About
Arjan van der Schaft is a prominent researcher whose work sits at the intersection of systems and control theory, robotics, and mathematical physics, with a particular focus on port-Hamiltonian frameworks and passivity-based control. His foundational contributions have shaped how engineers model and control complex interconnected mechanical systems, leveraging energy-based methods to ensure stability and robustness. Van der Schaft's most influential work includes his 2002 paper on geometric scattering in robotic telemanipulation (130 citations), which elegantly addressed passivity preservation in delayed teleoperation systems by introducing scattering variables for interconnected port-controlled Hamiltonian systems. This remains a touchstone reference in the field. He has also made sustained contributions to multi-robot coordination, developing integrated formation control and velocity tracking strategies for nonholonomic wheeled robots within the port-Hamiltonian framework, with extensions to disturbance rejection and velocity-measurement-free scenarios. More recently, van der Schaft has advanced contraction-based and virtual differential passivity methods for trajectory tracking in flexible-joint and fully-actuated mechanical systems, bridging elegant mathematical theory with experimental validation. His broader interests even extend to bio-inspired locomotion and morphological computation in quadrupedal robots. Across his career, his work has provided both theoretical depth and practical tools that continue to influence robotics and nonlinear control research worldwide.
Research Focus
Key Achievements
Top Papers
- 1Geometric scattering in robotic telemanipulation130 citations · 2002
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- 5Formation Control of Wheeled Robots in the Port-Hamiltonian Framework22 citations · 2014
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- 10Morphological computation in a fast-running quadruped with elastic spine13 citations · 2015