Finding synergy between a variety of control and estimation approaches can lead to effective solutions for controlling nonlinear dynamic systems in an efficient and systematic manner. In this paper, a novel controller design consisting of generalized regression neural networks (GRNNs) and sliding mode control (SMC) is proposed to control nonlinear multi-input and multi-output (MIMO) dynamic systems. The proposed design transforms GRNN from an offline regression model to an online adaptive controller. The suggested controller does not require any pretraining and it learns quickly from scratch. It uses a low computational complexity algorithm to provide accurate and stable performance. The proposed controller (GRNNSMC) performance is verified with a generic MIMO nonlinear dynamic system and a hexacopter model with a variable center of gravity. The results are compared with the standard PID controller. In addition, the stability of the GRNNSMC controller is verified using the Lyapunov stability method.

In this paper, a novel Self-Evolving General Regression Neural Network (SEGRNN) is designed for tracking control of a class of discrete-time dynamic systems with unknown dynamics and unknown external disturbances. The proposed controller starts from scratch and automatically adjusts its structure and parameters online to solve the tracking control problem. The proposed controller can add, prune and replace nodes online according to the control task, external disturbance and the design specifications. A robustifying control term is also added to SEGRNN's output to mitigate the effects of the external disturbance. The concept of a data reservoir is proposed where a record of the deleted nodes is stored for any future recall, if they are seen to be significant again. Unlike most of the previously proposed self-evolving systems, our controller offers user-friendly design parameters to suit a variety of real-world systems. Lyapunov stability analysis is utilized to study the stability of the suggested controller and to determine an appropriate learning rate for the SEGRNN weights. A continuous stirred-tank reactor simulation example is employed to verify the performance of the proposed controller. The performance of the proposed controller is also compared with a variety of controllers including adaptive radial basis functional networks, adaptive feed-forward neural networks, adaptive fuzzy logic system, proportional integral derivative controller, sliding mode controller and iterative learning controller. Finally, a DC motor platform is used to experimentally validate the controller performance.

This work focuses on the challenges associated with autonomous robot guidance, navigation, and control in multi-robot systems. This study provides an affordable solution by utilizing a group of small unmanned ground vehicles and quadrotors that collaborate on monitoring and inspection missions. The proposed system utilizes a potential fields path planning algorithm to allow a robot to track a moving target while avoiding obstacles in a dynamic environment. To achieve the required performance and provide robust tracking against wind disturbances, a backstepping controller is used to solve the essential stability problem and ensure that each robot follows the specified path asymptotically. Furthermore, the performance is also compared with a proportional-integral-derivative (PID) controller to ensure the superiority of the control system. The system combines a low-cost inertial measurement unit (IMU), a GNSS receiver, and a barometer for UAVs to generate a navigation solution (position, velocity, and attitude estimations), which is then used in the guidance and control algorithms. A similar solution is used for UGVs by integrating the IMU, a GNSS receiver, and encoders. Non-linear complementary filters integrate the measurements in the navigation system to produce high bandwidth estimates of the state of each robotic platform. Experimental results of several scenarios are discussed to prove the effectiveness of the approach.

The design of an intelligent controller for the Flapping Wing Micro Aerial Vehicle (FWMAV) is addressed in this paper. Generalized Regression Neural Network (GRNN) is used for the identification and control. One of the main issues associated with the GRNN is the growth in the size of the hidden layer with the data size increase is addressed in this research. The superiority of the GRNN controller is shown using numerical simulations in the presence of disturbances and the performance is compared with a classical Proportional Integral Derivative (PID) controller.

In this article, a novel version of the general regression neural network (Imp_GRNN) is developed to control a class of multiinput and multioutput (MIMO) nonlinear discrete-time (DT) systems. The improvements retain the features of the original GRNN along with a significant improvement of the control accuracy. The enhancements include developing a method to set the input-hidden weights of GRNN using the inputs recursive statistical means, introducing a new output layer and adaptable forward weighted connections from the inputs to the new layer, and suggesting an interval-type smoothing parameter to eradicate the need for selecting the parameter beforehand or adapting it online. Also, controller stability is studied using Lyapunov’s method for DT systems. The controller performance is tested with different simulation examples and compared with the original GRNN to verify its superiority over it. Also, Imp_GRNN performance is compared with an adaptive radial basis function network controller, an adaptive feedforward neural-network (NN) controller, and a proportional–integral–derivative (PID) controller, where it demonstrated higher accuracy in comparison with them. In comparison with the formerly proposed control methods for MIMO DT systems, our controller is capable of producing high control accuracy while it is model free, does not require complex mathematics, has low computational complexity, and can be utilized for a wide range of DT dynamic systems. Also, it is one of the few methods that aims to improve the control system accuracy by improving the NN structure.

This review paper discusses the development of the applications of the neural networks with the time and considering the evolution from the perceptron to the deep neural networks. In particular, it provides a platform for the neural network applications and current trends.