Mechanical feedback linearization of single-input mechanical control systems (2301.00087v1)

Abstract: We present a new type of feedback linearization that is tailored for mechanical control systems. We call it a mechanical feedback linearization. Its basic feature is preservation of the mechanical structure of the system. For mechanical systems with a scalar control, we formulate necessary and sufficient conditions that are verifiable using differentiations and algebraic operations only. We illustrate our results with several examples.