Max Robotics — Global Service Robot Directory + US Certification

About

Mark M. Tobenkin is a leading researcher in the intersection of nonlinear control theory and robotics, with a primary focus on the stability analysis and control of complex, underactuated systems. His major contributions lie in developing rigorous, optimization-based frameworks for designing feedback controllers and certifying stability in systems that are notoriously difficult to analyze, including those with impacts, friction, and input saturation. Tobenkin’s work is foundational for enabling dynamic robotic behaviors like walking, running, and flying, where traditional linear control methods fall short. His most cited paper, "Convex optimization of nonlinear feedback controllers via occupation measures" (2014, 143 citations), introduces a novel convex approach to constructing control laws for nonlinear systems, a breakthrough that bypasses the limitations of discretization and linearization. He further advanced the field by applying sums-of-squares (SOS) programming to certify stability in rigid-body systems with collisions and friction, as seen in his 2015 work (66 citations) and earlier 2013 paper (28 citations). His 2011 paper on regions of attraction for walking robot limit cycles (16 citations) demonstrates his sustained impact on robotic locomotion. Tobenkin’s work has become essential reading for researchers tackling real-world control challenges in robotics and nonlinear dynamics.