The port-Hamiltonian (pH) theory for distributed parameter systems has developed greatly in the past two decades. The theory has been successfully extended from finite-dimensional to infinite-dimensional systems through a lot of research efforts. This article collects the different research studies carried out for distributed pH systems. We classify over a hundred and fifty studies based on different research focuses ranging from modeling, discretization, control and theoretical foundations. This literature review highlights the wide applicability of the pH systems theory to complex systems with multi-physical domains using the same tools and language. We also supplement this article with a bibliographical database including all papers reviewed in this paper classified in their respective groups.

In this work, we approach the control problem of fully-actuated UAVs in a geometric port-Hamiltonian framework. The UAV is modeled as a floating rigid body on the special Euclidean group SE(3). A unified near-hovering motion and impedance controller is derived by the energy-balancing passivity-based control technique. A detailed analysis of the closed-loop system's behavior is presented for both the free-flight stability and contact stability of the UAV. The robustness of the control system to uncertainties is validated by several experiments, in which the UAV is controlled near its actuator limits. The experiments show the ability of the UAV to hover at its maximum allowed roll angle and apply its maximum allowed normal force to a surface, without the input saturation destabilizing the system.