Fernando A. C. C. Fontes
University of Minho, Twitter (United States), Universidade do Porto
Papers
8
Total Citations
160
H-Index
5
About
Fernando A. C. C. Fontes is a control systems researcher whose work has made significant contributions to the theory and application of model predictive control (MPC), robust control, and autonomous robotics. He is best known for his pioneering investigations into the role of discontinuous feedbacks in continuous-time MPC, a critical insight given that certain nonlinear systems — including the practically important class of nonholonomic systems common in robotics — fundamentally cannot be stabilized by continuous time-invariant feedback alone. His 2003 paper on min-max MPC for nonlinear systems has accumulated 85 citations, while his complementary work on discontinuous feedbacks and optimal controls has garnered 41, together establishing him as an authority in robust nonlinear control design. Fontes has also made notable strides in mobile robotics, developing constrained control methods for wheeled systems and formation control frameworks for multi-robot coordination, including leader-following strategies and optimal formation reorganization. His research portfolio reflects a breadth that extends even into combinatorial optimization and motion planning on spherical surfaces for tethered aircraft guidance, demonstrating a versatile analytical approach that bridges theoretical control mathematics with real-world engineering challenges.
Research Focus
Key Achievements
Top Papers
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- 4An Evolutionary Approach to the Maximum Edge Weight Clique Problem9 citations · 2018
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- 6A Generic Framework for Multi-robot Formation Control4 citations · 2012
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