Nonholonomic mechanics and virtual constraints on Riemannian homogeneous spaces

The article develops a geometric framework for virtual constraints on Riemannian homogeneous spaces, extending methods used for mechanical systems with restricted velocities. It establishes conditions for a unique feedback law that preserves the prescribed constraint and characterises the resulting closed-loop motion through an affine connection. Robotics-inspired examples illustrate the construction. This is the final journal article in the March 2026 issue of Automatica, superseding the related preprint.

Citation

Stratoglou, Efstratios, et al. “Nonholonomic mechanics and virtual constraints on Riemannian homogeneous spaces.” Automatica, vol. 185, Mar. 2026, article 112754, doi:10.1016/j.automatica.2025.112754.

Authors from IE Research Datalab