Model Predictive Control

Description
Model predictive control is a flexible paradigm that defines the control law as an optimization problem, enabling the specification of time-domain objectives, high performance control of complex multivariable systems, and the ability to explicitly enforce constraints on system behavior. This course provides an introduction to the theory and practice of MPC and covers advanced topics.

Tentative content:

  • Review of required optimal control theory
  • Basics on optimization
  • Receding-horizon control (MPC) for constrained linear systems
  • Theoretical properties of MPC: Constraint satisfaction and stability
  • Practical issues: Tracking and offset-free control of constrained systems, soft constraints
  • Robust MPC: Robust constraint satisfaction
  • Simulation-based project providing practical experience with MPC

Requirements
One semester course on automatic control, Matlab, linear algebra.
Important concepts to start the course: State-space modeling, basic concepts of stability, linear quadratic regulation / unconstrained optimal control.

Literature
Class notes (will be available online on the Moodle class page).

Exam
The final written exam during the examination session covers all the material. Students are permitted to use two A4 cheat sheets (two sheets = four pages). 

Grading
The final grade is based on an exam. The exam takes place during the examination session. 

Repetition
The final exam is only offered in the session after the course unit. Repetition is only possible after re-enrolling.

151-0660-00L
4 credit points

Start: 19 February 2026
End: 28 May 2026

Frequency
Annually, Spring semester

Lecturer
Melanie Zeilinger

Assistants
Marcell Bartos
Marco Heim
Sabrina Bodmer

Lecture
Thursdays
10:15-12:00
ML D28

Recitation
Thursdays
12:15-13:00
ML D28

Office hours
Directly after the recitation
ML D28

Lectures

All lecture slides will be available on the Moodle class page.

Recitations

Weekly recitations start February 19, 2026. The teaching assistants discuss problem sets and/or illustrate with examples topics from the previous week's lecture.

Office Hours

Office hours are offered weekly after the recitation. 

Problem Sets

Nongraded, optional problem sets are handed out weekly. 

Project

During the semester, there will be an optional, ungraded take-home project. Students are strongly encouraged to complete it, as it provides a practical application of the lecture material.

Plagiarism

When handing in any piece of work, the student (or, in case of group work, each individual student) listed as author confirms that the work is original, has been done by the author(s) independently, and that s/he has read and understood the ETH Citation etiquette. Each work submitted will be tested for plagiarism.

James B. Rawlings, David Q. Mayne, and Moritz M. Diehl. Model predictive control: Theory, Computation, and Design. Nob Hill Pub., 2020. external page Link

JavaScript has been disabled in your browser