Controllability of mechanical systems with allowance for the drive dynamics

Controllability studies of the mechanical nonlinear dynamic systems such manipulators or air and water craft were continued. Controllability was previously studied disregarding the dynamics of the control drives of mechanical systems [1–5]. The present paper established a controllability criterion for the mechanical systems where the drive dynamics is considered explicitly. Controllability conditions having an obvious physical sense were established. As before, the controllability condition is related with domination of the control forces over any other generalized forces of weight, environmental resistance, and so on. If the drive dynamics is taken into account, then domination in the rate of force variation, that is, in the derivative, is required. Stated differently, the control drives must tolerate sufficiently fast changes in the control output, that is, control forces.