Library · Optimization & control
What Feedback & Closed-Loop Control got wrong, from 70 theses
Summary written by a model from the records below: Across the investigated engineering domains, control implementations encounter substantial challenges from open-loop drift, communication and measurement latencies, and poorly modeled plant dynamics. While closed-loop feedback often mitigates state uncertainty, poorly tuned gains, computational overheads, and phase lags can also destabilize systems or cause feedback to perform worse than simpler baselines. These records come from graduate theses, 2021 to 2026, each labeled with its degree where the repository states it, and each links to its thesis. They were extracted by language models reading the full text, so treat each as a lead to read, not a verdict.
Plus 10 problems the authors left open, listed at the end.
Failure modes, by theses reporting them
Select a mode to jump to its records.
Open-loop control strategies fail due to drift, dynamic disturbances, and uncorrected uncertainty accumulation
Systems operated without closed-loop feedback suffer from severe trajectory drift, unbounded covariance growth, and failure to reject environmental disturbances. Across tasks from trajectory tracking and satellite rendezvous to chemical reactors and memory programming, the absence of real-time correction leads to degraded accuracy, tissue or hardware damage, and optimization failure.
Tried and failed
open-loop optimal control during initialization phase applied to system startup trajectory tracking. Outcome: worse than baseline. Reason: lack of feedback during startup failed to outperform standard closed-loop trajectory tracking
Automated Optimization and Control of Modular Chemical Systems · MIT · PhD
Tried and failed
open-loop model predictive control using constraint-based models applied to bioreactor nutrient feed rate optimization. Reason: unmodeled environmental dynamics and residual metabolism caused nutrient accumulation and growth deviations without feedback
Genome-scale model-based approach to optimize nutrient supply for chlorella vulgaris · Johns Hopkins · PhD
Tried and failed
open-loop transfer of simulation-optimized trajectories to hardware applied to locomotion controller for physical robots. Outcome: did not generalise. Reason: sim-to-real gap and unmodeled contact dynamics caused unpredictable execution without feedback
Robot Graph Grammars: Towards Custom Robots for Every Task · MIT · PhD
Tried and failed
open-loop actuation for manipulating flexible materials applied to automated loop lifting in robotic crocheting. Outcome: unstable. Reason: loose, deformable fabric introduced spatial variability, causing mechanical actuators to miss loops or lift inadequately
Croche-Matic – building a robot for crocheting 3D spherical form · Harvard · Master's
Lost to a baseline
The open-loop stochastic self-triggered MPC consumed significantly more resource and stayed farther from reference boundaries than the closed-loop feedback formulation.
Data-driven Methods for Control: from Linear to Lifting · EPFL · PhD
Lost to a baseline
Open-loop trajectory tracking of hydraulic actuator position resulted in substantially higher tracking error (16.65° RMSE for sinusoidal references) compared to closed-loop PI control (3.90° RMSE).
Sensing, Actuation, and Control of Soft Fluid-driven Robots by Liquid-elastomer Composite Sensors and Dielectric Elastomer Actuators · Harvard · PhD
Considered and rejected
Considered and rejected: Rejected pure open-loop training dataset evaluation for LSTM building dynamics in favor of closed-loop multi-step autoregressive rollout evaluation to test error accumulation and stability
Deep Reinforcement Learning-based Control Strategies for Enhancing Energy Management in HVAC Systems · Politecnico di Torino · PhD
Considered and rejected
Considered and rejected: Rejected open-loop / feed-forward GPS/INS integration configurations because reference and actual trajectories diverge, deteriorating linearity and process model assumptions over time; adopted feedback/closed-loop integration instead.
Vision based Real-Time Navigation with Unknown and Uncooperative Space Target · Carleton University
Considered and rejected
Considered and rejected: Rejected open-loop charge execution at t=0 in favor of closed-loop MPC-style periodic recomputation to handle forecast disturbances, price changes, and parameter errors.
Smart Charging of Electric Vehicles: Algorithms, Ramifications, and Hardware Development · Georgia Tech · PhD
Considered and rejected
Considered and rejected: Rejected open-loop AOM RF frequency/amplitude control for lattice ramping due to drift and complexity, retaining closed-loop PID control
Elastic and inelastic dipolar scattering · MIT · PhD
Considered and rejected
Considered and rejected: Open-loop RF frequency/amplitude control of the AOM for deep lattice ramping due to drift and complexity, retaining closed-loop PID control
Elastic and inelastic dipolar scattering · MIT · PhD
Considered and rejected
Considered and rejected: Open-loop proportional distance control alone: rejected because steady-state following error grew with target speed, risking tag loss; replaced with PI distance control.
USE OF ARTIFICIAL FIDUCIAL MARKERS FOR USV SWARM COORDINATION · Naval Postgraduate School · Master's
Considered and rejected
Considered and rejected: Rejected open-loop state covariance propagation for rendezvous chance constraints in favor of a feedback-augmented deadbeat impulsive controller to suppress unbounded covariance growth.
Fast and Resilient Optimization-based Control with Spacecraft Applications · University of Washington · PhD
Tried and failed
open-loop pulse programming of analog states applied to resistive switching memory devices. Outcome: unstable. Reason: stochastic switching prevented reproducible target resistance states and reliable retention without closed-loop verification
High-resolution peripheral circuits for multi-state memristors and their related applications · Imperial · PhD
Tried and failed
open-loop rate control transitions applied to vehicle trajectory planning. Outcome: unstable. Reason: lack of feedback during transitions accumulated trajectory drift and positional error
Adapting Random Tree Search to Fixed Wing Aerial Vehicles with Closed-Loop Prediction and Hybrid Control · Georgia Tech · PhD
Tried and failed
open-loop robust control with uncertainty propagation applied to dynamic ambiguity set control. Outcome: unstable. Reason: Zero feedback gain fails to restrict the unbounded growth of dynamic uncertainty sets over time.
Data-driven distributionally robust model predictive control · Imperial · Doctorate
Lost to a baseline
Open-loop optimal contact control with 30-day delay resulted in 720 deaths per 100,000 (at 25% isolation) and 510 deaths (at 50% isolation), losing to feedback control which held deaths to 620 and 250 respectively.
Endogenous and Exogenous Control of Virus-Host Dynamics · Georgia Tech · PhD
Considered and rejected
Considered and rejected: Rejected open-loop control using optimal steady-state bus voltages because it lacks feedback accuracy and cannot regulate against disturbances.
Networked DC microgrids control system for optimal power exchange with guaranteed stability · Imperial · PhD
Considered and rejected
Considered and rejected: Rejected linear quadratic regulator (LQR) open-loop control because it lacks input constraints and infinite-time convergence assumptions are unrealistic
Early Prediction of Adverse Clinical Events and Optimal Intervention in Intensive Care Units · Johns Hopkins · PhD
Considered and rejected
Considered and rejected: Rejected open-loop constant molar flux control for active equilibration due to first-order drift in total internal pressure caused by environmental oxygen perturbations.
Developing in situ instrumentation to monitor anthropogenic change · Woods Hole · PhD
Considered and rejected
Considered and rejected: Open-loop tetanic activation control: rejected because sustaining open-loop tetanus caused rapid muscle deterioration and tissue damage, requiring closed-loop proxy evaluation instead.
Rapid wingbeats in insects through supra-resonant elasticity and actuation · Georgia Tech · PhD
Lost to a baseline
Controller 1 (feedforward shape propagation) was completely outperformed by feedback Controllers 2 and 3 under unknown obstacles and poor initial contact, achieving 0% success compared to 100% success for feedback controllers.
Snake and Snake Robot Locomotion in Complex, 3-D Terrain · Johns Hopkins · PhD
Tried and failed
open-loop policy control applied to ride-hailing fleet matching MDPs. Outcome: unstable. Reason: multiple stable fixed points cause the dynamic system to get trapped in suboptimal attracting states
Conic Reformulation Methods in Revenue Management · Georgia Tech · PhD
Considered and rejected
Considered and rejected: Rejected vanilla open-loop Iterative Best Response because fixing ado vehicle controls during optimization makes the value function independent of ado utility, converging to non-cooperative Nash equilibria.
Semi-Cooperative Planning in Mixed Human-Autonomous Environments · MIT · PhD
Considered and rejected
Considered and rejected: Rejected parameterising predicted control inputs as open-loop perturbation sequences {c_0|k, ., c_{N-1|k}} with fixed observer and feedback gains because it provides poor performance and small feasible sets under packet loss.
Robust and stochastic receding horizon control · Oxford · PhD
Tried and failed
single-step open-loop dynamic optimization applied to nonlinear bioreactor trajectory optimization. Outcome: did not converge. Reason: numerical solver failed over full horizon, requiring receding horizon optimization instead
Mathematical Formulation and Numerical Methods for the Optimization of Novel Biotherapeutics Manufacturing · MIT · PhD
Tried and failed
offline open-loop optimal control without state feedback applied to satellite rendezvous docking under dynamic perturbations. Outcome: did not converge. Reason: lack of feedback prevented correction for dynamic perturbations during execution
Distributed and Time-Varying Optimization for Autonomy and Decision-Making · Georgia Tech · PhD
Tried and failed
open-loop model-based predictive scheduling without local sensors applied to precision agricultural irrigation management. Outcome: worse than baseline. Reason: overestimated growth model coefficients and comparison against an experienced baseline operator
Considered and rejected
Considered and rejected: Rejected flux balance analysis because it only yields steady-state metabolite concentrations without temporal dynamic feedback.
Stochasticity, conflicts, and instability: Biological strategies for optimal growth in a complex environment · University of Washington · PhD
Considered and rejected
Considered and rejected: Rejected open-loop / batch experimental design when intermediate experimental outcomes can actively inform subsequent design decisions in non-parallel settings.
Accounting for Computational Expenditures in Bayesian Experimental Design · MIT · PhD
Latency, communication delays, and phase lag destabilize feedback loops and degrade dynamic response
Hardware transmission latencies, signal conditioning delays, and computational delays introduce excessive phase lag that induces persistent oscillations or catastrophic instability in closed-loop systems. Consequently, practitioners are forced to limit control bandwidth, reject direct feedback of delayed signals, or abandon real-time feedback in favor of reactive or off-balance alternatives.
Tried and failed
two-loop acceleration feedback autopilot applied to aerodynamically unstable vehicle control. Outcome: unstable. Reason: extreme sensitivity to actuator dynamics and lag causes closed-loop instability without rate-damping inner loops
Smart Projectile Performance Augmentation Using an Articulating Nose · Georgia Tech · PhD
Tried and failed
maximizing closed-loop control bandwidth applied to time-delayed opto-mechatronic feedback systems. Outcome: worse than baseline. Reason: Latency and phase lag caused severe noise amplification and degraded low-frequency disturbance rejection.
Opto-mechatronic disturbance compensation for free-space optical satellite communication · TU Wien · PhD
Considered and rejected
Considered and rejected: Feeding back measured ergometer position directly into real-time closed-loop simulation: rejected because 1-2 ms hardware latency destabilized the loop, requiring feedback of prescribed position instead.
Rapid wingbeats in insects through supra-resonant elasticity and actuation · Georgia Tech · PhD
Considered and rejected
Considered and rejected: Rejected continuous on-balance feedback measurements because finite lock-in response time and feedback loop lag caused excessive measurement slowdown and errors compared to off-balance acquisition.
The Electronic Compressibility of Rhombohedral Graphene Multilayers · MIT · PhD
Tried and failed
continuous sinusoidal feedback actuation applied to real-time aeroelastic vibration damping. Outcome: too slow. Reason: Update rate lag degraded phase synchronization accuracy and control response speed.
It’s Not Just a Phase: Real-Time Aeroelastic Flutter Control Optical Flow Sensing and Piezoelectric Control of Aeroelastic Flutter · University of Nevada, Reno · Master's
Considered and rejected
Considered and rejected: Rejected pure feedback control and teleoperation due to severe sensor/communication time delays and slow operational speed
Bio-Inspired Adaptive Control of Robotic Manipulators for Grasping in Orbital Space Missions · Carleton University · PhD
Considered and rejected
Considered and rejected: Rejected numerical differentiation of slow-sampled, latency-affected exteroceptive pose signals for floating-base velocity feedback due to high-frequency actuator chatter and instability.
Employing symmetry in dynamics and motion control of robotic mechanisms · TU Wien · PhD
Considered and rejected
Considered and rejected: Online maximum likelihood estimation (MLE) in real-time feedback loop rejected in favor of reactive extremum seeking control due to computational latency in the temporal control budget.
Evaluating and optimizing the performance of real-time feedback-driven single particle tracking microscopes through the lens of information and optimal control · Boston University · PhD
Tried and failed
coordinated feedback control with parameter tracking applied to distributed energy frequency regulation. Outcome: unstable. Reason: communication delays around 200 ms induce sustained oscillations through resonant mode amplification
Frequency Control of Virtual Power Plants · University College Dublin · PhD
Tried and failed
analog LVDT conditioning IC for position sensing applied to magnetic levitation closed-loop control. Outcome: unstable. Reason: signal processing IC introduced excessive phase lag around 100 Hz into the feedback loop
Bearingless Slice Motor and 6-DoF Position Sensor for Extracorporeal Pump · MIT · PhD
Lost to a baseline
Baseline strategy moving towards the intruder's azimuth angle achieved larger terminal separation ls than the optimal strategy in certain high-order dynamic trials due to cross-feedback computation delay.
Perception-Action Loop for Multi-Robot Systems with Deep Learning · Penn · PhD
Considered and rejected
Considered and rejected: Rejected direct numerical differentiation of the cantilever deflection signal for ORT velocity feedback due to amplified noise and estimator computational latency, choosing a fixed time-delay instead.
Data-Driven Methods for Controller Design in Atomic Force Microscopy · EPFL · PhD
Tried and failed
GPIB-controlled power supply for digital feedback loop applied to interferometer fringe locking. Outcome: unstable. Reason: Communication latency and quantized output steps caused discrete voltage jumps and signal disruptions.
Measurement of phonon angular momentum via the Einstein-de Haas effect, fiber-optic interferometry, and a high-Q oscillator · UT Austin · PhD
Closed-loop feedback mechanisms lose to open-loop baselines or are rejected due to computational overhead and complexity
Complex closed-loop feedback controllers frequently incur high CPU utilization, hardware implementation complexity, and tracking errors that exceed those of simpler open-loop or fixed-schedule alternatives. When feedback channels are bottlenecked or when open-loop correlation and current control suffice, open-loop methods achieve superior tracking, lower cost, and reduced system latency.
Lost to a baseline
Sequential Open-Loop Control (OLC) achieved higher steady-state tracking accuracy than MPC across several prediction horizons (Figure 5.4).
Guidance and Navigation Algorithms for Spacecraft Low-Thrust Proximity Operations: Formation Flight in Circular Relative Orbit · Politecnico di Torino · PhD
Lost to a baseline
For process LDH 6 final state estimation, the open-loop reference model was more accurate than the direct soft-sensor and PF observer.
Novel soft-sensor applications and mechanistic models for biomanufacturing with Escherichia coli · TU Wien · PhD
Lost to a baseline
Open-loop system with rho_s = 0.5 achieved lower mean peak age (Delta = 4) than pipelined closed-loop feedback systems when feedback was heavily bottlenecked (mu_f < 0.6).
Age- and deviation-of-information in networked cyber-physical systems · Leibniz Universität Hannover · PhD
Considered and rejected
Considered and rejected: Rejected using closed-loop torque control with dedicated output torque sensing, choosing open-loop current control of quasi-direct drive actuators to reduce mass and mechanical complexity.
Enhancing Human Locomotion using a Robotic Knee Exoskeleton · Georgia Tech · PhD
Considered and rejected
Considered and rejected: Rejected closed-loop feedback control for breakthrough concentration generation due to complexity of required electronics and programming, choosing open-loop control with manual calibration instead
Characterisation of porous materials for the adsorption of volatile organic compounds · Imperial · PhD
Lost to a baseline
On BDD Day-Urban sequences, PID closed-loop sensor control achieved 0.75-0.76 recall vs 0.80 for open-loop baseline.
Closed Loop Perception for Resource Efficient Autonomous Systems · Georgia Tech · PhD
Tried and failed
high-frequency feedback loops in the datapath applied to network congestion control. Outcome: worse than baseline. Reason: excessive CPU overhead from frequent feedback computation degraded throughput
Toward Predictable Networks · Cornell · PhD
Lost to a baseline
In the modular CZ framework under varying traffic rates, the feedback controller incurred higher total cost in CZ1 (36.96 vs 34.23) and fixed-speed flow control incurred higher overall total objective (76.77 vs 74.72) than the baseline without flow control.
Safety-critical optimal control in autonomous traffic systems · Boston University · PhD
Lost to a baseline
Zero-wait policy (k = 1) outperformed pipelining (k >= 2) in closed-loop systems when feedback was very fast / near-instantaneous (mu_f > 2.7, forward path system time 2 vs > 2).
Age- and deviation-of-information in networked cyber-physical systems · Leibniz Universität Hannover · PhD
Lost to a baseline
In decreasing inertia perturbations, the closed-loop controller achieved a cost of 3.19, performing worse than the open-loop model baseline cost of 2.87.
Neuro-musculoskeletal Models: A Tool to Study the Contribution of Muscle Dynamics to Biological Motor Control · Tübingen · PhD
Model mismatch, unmodeled plant coupling, and nonlinearities cause closed-loop divergence and oscillations
Closing the loop using simplified linear approximations or isolated unit models causes trajectories to escape to alternate steady states or trigger destructive positive feedback. Furthermore, neglecting downstream actuator dynamics, switching phase errors, or feedback-induced noise correlations leads to severe limit cycles and biased parameter estimates.
Tried and failed
piecewise-affine autoregressive modeling in predictive control applied to building HVAC frequency response control. Outcome: did not generalise. Reason: superior open-loop prediction accuracy did not translate to improved closed-loop tracking performance
Applications of Data-driven Predictive Control to Building Energy Systems · EPFL · PhD
Tried and failed
tuning MPC using open-loop trajectories applied to legged robot closed-loop control. Outcome: did not generalise. Reason: approximate discrete-time dynamics compounded integration errors like foot penetration and slip during closed-loop execution
Tailoring Complexity of Model-Based Controllers for Legged Robots · MIT · PhD
Tried and failed
fully automated closed-loop environmental control applied to building HVAC systems. Outcome: unstable. Reason: complex feedback dynamics produced unintended systemic breakdowns rather than stable autonomous regulation
Remote Control: Art, Technology, and the Politics of Distance (1966-1972) · MIT · PhD
Tried and failed
open-loop to closed-loop current ramp-down switching applied to sensorless motor drive control. Outcome: unstable. Reason: Excessive ramp-down slope drops current prematurely before phase error converges, causing torque and speed oscillations.
Sensorless control of motoring/generating system for future more-electric turboprop aircraft · Nottingham · PhD
Tried and failed
Direct identification under feedback applied to closed-loop dynamic systems. Reason: Noise-input correlation under misspecified noise models produces biased, inconsistent parameter estimates
Learning and Control with Generalization and Stability Certificates · EPFL · PhD
Tried and failed
static input balance tuned in isolated units applied to recurrently connected network simulations. Outcome: unstable. Reason: isolated tuning failed to account for recurrent network feedback dynamics
Simulation of the mouse visual cortex · EPFL · PhD
Considered and rejected
Considered and rejected: Rejected using reflected impedance estimation directly in the feedback loop to lock the slave injection-locked oscillator from an unstable state because narrow-band filter response ambiguities allow different frequencies to produce identical reference voltages.
High frequency inductive power transfer operation using active transceivers · Imperial · PhD
Tried and failed
droop control with instantaneous vector discretization applied to grid-connected inverter power regulation. Outcome: unstable. Reason: positive feedback occurs when phase angle difference enters 90 to 270 degrees, causing active power divergence
Vector Based Control for Power Electronics Dominated AC Power Grid · Virginia Tech · Master's
Tried and failed
linearized state-feedback control applied to bistable nonlinear reaction-diffusion PDEs. Outcome: unstable. Reason: linearization failed to capture nonlinear dynamics, allowing trajectories to escape toward an alternate stable steady state
Control of agent-based models across scales · Imperial · Doctorate
Overly aggressive feedback gains and high adaptation rates induce actuator saturation and instability
Attempting to optimize convergence rates or suppress errors with excessively high feedback gains or fast adaptation rates excites unmodeled dynamics and triggers actuator saturation. High derivative terms and state feedback without adequate damping similarly amplify sensor noise, generating chattering and persistent oscillations on physical hardware.
Tried and failed
nested force feedback in position control loop applied to series elastic actuator position control. Outcome: worse than baseline. Reason: Inner force feedback degraded stability margins, forcing smaller position gains and worsening position tracking accuracy.
Towards versatile, high-performing and interactive humanoids · UT Austin · PhD
Tried and failed
Aggressive convergence rate optimization in feedback control applied to nonlinear dynamical systems. Outcome: unstable. Reason: Excessively high feedback gains induced actuator saturation in nonlinear simulation despite theoretical linear certification
Safe online learning for nonlinear dynamical systems using control contraction metrics · Cranfield · PhD
Tried and failed
adaptive feedforward control with high learning rates applied to robot motion control with sensory feedback. Outcome: unstable. Reason: Excessively high adaptation rate in the feedforward loop caused dynamic control instability across trials.
Bio-inspired robotics: efference copies and adaptive feedforward control · Imperial · PhD
Tried and failed
derivative action in PID feedback control applied to piezoelectric actuator stabilization. Outcome: unstable. Reason: derivative gain consistently induced closed-loop oscillations regardless of parameter tuning
Strong Light — Matter Interactions in a Bow-Tie Cavity and Machine Learning-Enhanced Cooling · MIT · PhD
Considered and rejected
Considered and rejected: Rejected using unrealistically high control gains in simulation to bridge the stride length gap between open-loop and closed-loop because they fail on physical hardware.
TOWARD HIGH-PERFORMANCE SIMPLE MODELS OF LEGGED LOCOMOTION · Penn · PhD
Considered and rejected
Considered and rejected: Rejected full-state feedback control for physical implementations due to degradation/instability from measurement noise, delay, derivative noise, and signal saturation.
Design Methodologies for Simple Adaptive Controllers with Applications to Spacecraft Proximity Operations · Carleton University · Master's
Feedback-only architectures exhibit steady-state tracking errors without feedforward compensation or integral action
Relying strictly on basic proportional-derivative feedback without feedforward compensation or gain adaptation allows back-driving, damping, and zero-crossing dead-bands to degrade tracking accuracy. Without predictive models or integral terms, these feedback-only controllers achieve lower tracking quality and persistent steady-state offsets compared to two-degree-of-freedom architectures.
Lost to a baseline
Omitting linear feedback gain adaptation (ˆkx adaptation turned off, γx = 0) resulted in increased oscillations and worse tracking error performance compared to adapting linear feedback gains.
Robust and Model Reference Adaptive Control for Nonlinear Uncertainty in Native Space · Virginia Tech · Doctorate
Lost to a baseline
Feedforward-enhanced feedback control had lower experimental performance (3.7% THD) compared to dynamic cancellation control (2.9% THD) due to duty-ratio saturation near zero crossings creating a flat dead-band
CONTROL OF HIGH-POWER-DENSITY LINE-INTERFACED POWER CONVERTERS · Cornell · PhD
Considered and rejected
Considered and rejected: Rejected pure feedback PID low-level SEA control because human tissue damping and dynamic back-driving degraded tracking without feedforward compensation.
Adaptive User State Estimation for Assisting Human Locomotion Using Powered Hip Exoskeletons · Georgia Tech · PhD
Lost to a baseline
PD trajectory tracking under feedback-only control exhibited an average steady-state tracking error of e_avg = 0.0193 m due to lack of feed-forward or integral terms.
Multi-Objective Control for Physical and Cognitive Human-Exoskeleton Interaction · Virginia Tech · Doctorate
Lost to a baseline
Non-predictive controllers (PI and state feedback) achieved lower determination coefficients (R2 = 0.613 and R2 = 0.857) than the proposed 2DoF controller (R2 = 0.947) and MPC (R2 = 0.987) for NOx output tracking without input saturation.
A multi-level cooperative strategy for reducing fuel consumption and transient pollutant emissions of hybrid electric vehicles · TU Wien · PhD
Left open by the authors
Problems the authors named and did not get to.
Left open
Integrate online analytical sensors with continuous-flow reactors to enable real-time closed-loop feedback control of nanomaterial synthesis parameters. Blocker: Requires a physical continuous-flow reactor setup and integrated online analytical hardware.
Scalable Synthesis of Nanomaterials in Continuous-Flow Reactors · Georgia Tech · PhD
Left open
Develop a closed-loop feedback system controlling heating and cooling rates or thermal training for repeatable SMA actuation strain in knitted textiles. Blocker: Requires the physical knitted textile apparatus, Nitinol SMA actuators, sensors, and thermal control hardware
Leveraging Fabric Substructure Variations of Actuator-Integrated Robotic Textiles for Wearable Applications · Cornell · PhD
Left open
Implement closed-loop feedback or robust model predictive control under uncertainty for the simulated cellulose oxidation reactor. Blocker: None
Set-Based Fault Diagnosis and Dynamic Optimization of a Cellulose Oxidation Reactor · Georgia Tech · PhD
Left open
Perform closed-loop conditional auditory feedback with a 10 ms window across multiple discrete feedback delays to validate the synaptic eligibility trace shape. Blocker: Requires live zebra finches, chronic Neuropixels 2.0 neural implants, and specialized closed-loop electrophysiology wet-lab hardware.
Driving Temporally Precise Learning in Individual Premotor Neurons using Closed-Loop Neurofeedback · MIT · PhD
Left open
Apply the Limited Individual Lifetime Differential Evolution algorithm to optimize experimental Bose-Einstein condensate cycle parameters and cycle time. Blocker: Requires direct feedback and closed-loop control on the physical cold-atom experimental apparatus.
Experimental setup for fast BEC generation and number-stabilized atomic ensembles · Leibniz Universität Hannover · PhD
Left open
Integrate high-level planning with a reusable atomic skill library to handle noisy execution feedback and compounding real-world errors in robotic manipulation. Blocker: Requires a physical robot manipulation setup and environment to evaluate closed-loop real-world error recovery.
Leveraging Pretrained Vision and Language Models for Robotic Manipulation · Georgia Tech · PhD
Left open
Test timing-specified robotic handover controllers with corrective feedback mechanisms in real-world industrial environments with human workers. Blocker: Requires physical industrial robotic manipulators and access to real industrial operating environments.
Robot Controllers, Gaze Behaviors and Human Motion Datasets for Object Handovers · Cornell · PhD
Left open
Simulate bimanual haptic feedback within motor control models to optimize feedback gains and modalities. Blocker: Specific motor control model formulations and objective functions for optimization are not detailed
Bimanual coordination classification, influence, and haptic augmentation for human-operated robotic systems · UT Austin · PhD
Left open
Develop and implement adaptive Smith-predictor-based feedback controllers for improved setpoint regulation in rolling-diaphragm hydrostatic transmission actuators. Blocker: Requires the physical hydrostatic transmission robotic hardware or proprietary experimental setup for validation
Rolling-diaphragm hydrostatic transmission for the remote actuation of high-performance robots · University of Trento · PhD
Left open
Extend the causal discovery architecture to model cyclic feedback relationships and time-resolved dynamic systems via steady-states or stochastic differential equations. Blocker: None
Practical Algorithms for Modeling Causality to Accelerate Scientific Discovery · MIT · PhD
Who has worked on this
Authors of the public theses cited on this page, most-cited first.
- Ethan S. Wold · Georgia Tech · PhD · 2025
Rapid wingbeats in insects through supra-resonant elasticity and actuation - Mahsa Noroozi · Leibniz Universität Hannover · PhD · 2024
Age- and deviation-of-information in networked cyber-physical systems - Pierre Barral · MIT · PhD · 2023
Elastic and inelastic dipolar scattering - Jianlong He · Georgia Tech · PhD · 2026
Scalable Synthesis of Nanomaterials in Continuous-Flow Reactors - Yiye Chen · Georgia Tech · PhD · 2026
Leveraging Pretrained Vision and Language Models for Robotic Manipulation - Pavan Krishna Inguva · MIT · PhD · 2026
Mathematical Formulation and Numerical Methods for the Optimization of Novel Biotherapeutics Manufacturing - Paul Rothman · University of Nevada, Reno · Master's · 2026
It’s Not Just a Phase: Real-Time Aeroelastic Flutter Control Optical Flow Sensing and Piezoelectric Control of Aeroelastic Flutter - Mahrokh Ghoddousiboroujeni · EPFL · PhD · 2026
Learning and Control with Generalization and Stability Certificates - Hugo Thabo Dictus · EPFL · PhD · 2026
Simulation of the mouse visual cortex - Haoran Wang · Virginia Tech · Doctorate · 2026
Robust and Model Reference Adaptive Control for Nonlinear Uncertainty in Native Space - Samuel H. Aronson · MIT · PhD · 2025
The Electronic Compressibility of Rhombohedral Graphene Multilayers - Nina Rrose Wexelblatt · MIT · PhD · 2025
Remote Control: Art, Technology, and the Politics of Distance (1966-1972)
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