Vuk and Georgi: An adventure into active systems via mechatronics, robotics and manufacturing engineering

The last century´s ending quarter was marked by an dramatically dynamic development of new technologies and practical realizations of diverse technical constructions in various fields of engineering, in general, and in robotics, in particular. However, such growth of new technological achievements was not accompanied always with the necessary caution steps and protection measures against possible breakdown and destructions, which in specific cases and under certain conditions could be disastrous. In this talk commemorating Academician Vukobratovic and drawing from his endeavors on the so-called active systems and research he shared with me as well as our academic cooperation during the last decade of his active work, while examining some advantages, his merits for the entire field are pointed in here out to the best author´s abilities. Some active systems such as adaptation for active noise and machine vibration control via active damping by force feedback as well as mobile robotic unmanned air and underwater vehicles as well as platoon of ground vehicles are note considered. Rather focus is put on active controls of earthquake induced vibrations and high-rise structures, manufacturing processes, wheeled mobile manipulators and walking humanoid robots are discussed in more detail while on homing missiles are only mentioned. In due course, some solutions to contact task in dynamic environment that are linked with active systems are also touched upon.