Slidig mode control in engineering

Many physical systems naturally require the use of discontinuous terms in their dynamics. This is, for instance, the case of mechanical systems with friction. This fact was recognized and advantageously exploited since the very beginning of the 20th century for the regulation of a large variety of dynamical systems. The keystone of this new approach was the theory of differential equations with discontinuous right-hand sides pioneered by academic groups of the former Soviet Union.