Following his book on the origin of control engineering (1800-1930 (see separate entry), the author now traces development through the critical period 1930-1955, widely identified as the period of 'classical' control theory. In the 1930s basic automatic control devices were developed and used in process industries, as were servos for the control of aircraft and ships and amplifiers for the telephone system and early computers etc. During the war many disparate ideas were brought together for the development of aircraft tracking and response systems -- leading to classical control theory which dominated the field through the 1950s. The foundations were also being laid for the introduction of what we now term 'modern' control theory.
Also available:
A History of Control Engineering 1800-1930 - ISBN 0863410472
Advances in Unmanned Marine Vehicles - ISBN 0863414508
The Institution of Engineering and Technology is one of the world's leading professional societies for the engineering and technology community. The IET publishes more than 100 new titles every year; a rich mix of books, journals and magazines with a back catalogue of more than 350 books in 18 different subject areas including:
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Stuart Bennett is a senior lecturer in the Department of Automatic Control and Systems Engineering at the University of Sheffield. He has written extensively about the history of control engineering and about the influence of technological developments on the process industries. His other interests include computer control, real-time system design methodologies and intelligent simulation systems.
