In this thesis we study the problem of stabilizing smooth embedded submanifolds in the state space of smooth, nonlinear, autonomous, deterministic control-affine systems. Our motivation stems from a realization that important applications, such as path following and synchronization, are best understood in the set stabilization framework. Instead of directly attacking the above set stabilization problem, we seek feedback equivalence of the given control system to a normal form that facilitates control design. The process of putting a control system into the normal form of this thesis is called transverse feedback linearization.

When feasible, transverse feedback linearization allows for a decomposition of the nonlinear system into a “transverse” and a “tangential” subsystem relative to the goal submanifold. The dynamics of the transverse subsystem determine whether or not the system’s state approaches the submanifold. To ease controller design, we ask that the transverse subsystem be linear time-invariant and controllable. The dynamics of the tangential subsystem determine the motion on the submanifold. The main problem considered in this work, the local transverse feedback linearization problem (LTFLP), asks:​ when is such a decomposition possible near a point of the goal submanifold? This problem can equivalently be viewed as that of finding a system output with a well-defined relative degree, whose zero dynamics manifold coincides with the goal submanifold. As such, LTFLP can be thought of as the inverse problem to input-output feedback linearization.

We present checkable, necessary and sufficient conditions for the existence of a local coordinate and feedback transformation that puts the given system into the desired normal form. A key ingredient used in the analysis is the new notion of transverse controllability indices of a control system with respect to a set. When the goal submanifold is diffeomorphic to Euclidean space, we present sufficient conditions for feedback equivalence in a tubular neighbourhood of it.

These results are used to develop a technique for solving the path following problem. When applied to this problem, transverse feedback linearization decomposes controller design into two separate stages:​ transversal control design and tangential control design. The transversal control inputs are used to stabilize the path, and effectively generate virtual constraints forcing the system’s output to move along the path. The tangential inputs are used to control the motion along the path. A useful feature of this twostage approach is that the motion on the set can be controlled independently of the set stabilizing control law.

The effectiveness of the proposed approach is demonstrated experimentally on a magnetically levitated positioning system. Furthermore, the first satisfactory solution to a problem of longstanding interest, path following for the planar/vertical take-off and landing aircraft model to the unit circle, is presented. This solution, developed in collaboration with Luca Consolini and Mario Tosques at the University of Parma, is made possible by taking a set stabilization point of view.