Group Heemels
As connectivity becomes ubiquitous and sensors, actuators, and controllers are seamlessly embedded in our daily lives, it is essential to develop general system theories and multidisciplinary design methodologies for emerging networked, multi-agent, and cyber-physical systems. These systems are increasingly autonomous, interconnected, and operate in complex, dynamic environments across diverse domains. Key application areas include high-tech manufacturing, precision agriculture, healthcare, autonomous and cooperative vehicles across land, air, and water, as well as future energy systems such as nuclear fusion. Addressing these challenges requires scalable, adaptive, and intelligent approaches that can handle complexity while ensuring reliability, efficiency, and resilience.
Research Profile
Next-generation engineering systems demand a seamless integration of computation, communication, and control with the physical processes they govern鈥攔anging from thermal, mechanical, chemical, biological dynamics and energy flows and their multi-physics combinations. These cyber-physical systems (CPS) are at the core of autonomous, interconnected, and intelligent technologies, yet the underlying disciplines have traditionally evolved in isolation, limiting their full potential. Bridging this gap requires a new generation of hybrid systems theory that unites control engineering, computer science, and communication theory into a coherent and scalable design framework.
Read moreHighlighted Projects
Example of our Research: Model Predictive Control
Model predictive control (MPC) has become one of the most influential technologies developed by the control community, combining deep theoretical foundations with widespread industrial and societal deployment. Our team is at the forefront of the developments in the area of MPC and we have projects on key fundamental developments with impactul applications in
- safe-learning MPC (e.g, for autonomous driving),
- data-based predictive control (e.g., for thermal systems),
- large-scale MPC (for hyperthermia cancer treatments, energy management in buildings and residential neighborhoods),
- nonlinear MPC (for high-performance drone control)
Watch the video via the button below for a demonstration of our MPC solutions for autonomous driving. We developed this in the NWO-OTP project Amadeus. We have provided formal guarantees on safety using mathematical control theory on the one hand and provided multi-brand test-track demonstrations of our algorithms on the other hand. This combination of strong fundamental research leading to provably sound control solutions and experimental real-life validation (with TNO, Ford and Rijkswaterstaat in this case) is an excellent example for the way we collaborate with our partners.
Group Lead
Meet some of our Researchers
Recent Publications
Our most recent peer reviewed publications
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Postal address
PO Box Postbus 5135600 MB Eindhoven -
Group lead
Maurice Heemels -
Management Assistant Office