Input‐output linearization and decoupling of mechanical control systems

In this article, we present the problem of simultaneous input‐output feedback linearization and decoupling (noninteracting) for mechanical control systems with outputs. We show that the natural requirement of preserving mechanical structure of the system and of transformations imposes supplementary conditions when compared to the classical solution of the same problem for general control systems. These conditions can be expressed using objects on the configuration space only. We illustrate our results with several examples of mechanical control systems.