Controls and experiments: lessons learned

Presenting four basic lessons derived from combining control theory and experimental implementation: firstly, where possible, modeling should be done within a control-oriented framework; secondly, to avoid a control design quagmire, it is important to know what the appropriate goal is and when the system performance is sufficient to meet specifications developed prior to the control design; thirdly, the effects of actuation authority and measurement sensitivity choices on achievable closed-loop performance should be well understood; and fourthly, the act of serendipity associated with discovery is healthy for research.