For example, they can be modeled as deterministic systems or as stochastic systems, and they can be modeled as discrete systems or as continuous systems. Projects in this area use a variety of approaches to study the modeling and analysis of manufacturing systems. The investigations range from the theoretical study of the properties of large systems, to synthesis of scheduling policies which are then tested in large scale simulation of virtual plant models. In several practical applications, one wishes to build systems that can adapt to their environments. Examples range from systems that can adaptively cancel echoes in telephone lines, to adaptive autopilots for supertankers.
Several issues are of interest in the design and analysis of adaptive systems.
One would also like to establish whether the systems can indeed adapt to their environment, or that they can self-tune to controllers which are optimized to their environment. Since real systems may themselves change with time, one would also like to study how rapid are the time variations that adaptive systems can manage. Several projects address both the theoretical study of such adaptive systems, as well as the design for specific applications. Many systems are influenced by random or unpredictable events. Such systems are called stochastic systems.