Geometric constraint systems such as bar-and-joint, body-and-bar and plate-and-hinge structures are ubiquitous in engineering, the natural sciences and technology. Understanding the intrinsic rigidity and flexibility of these systems is fundamental in everything from the design of mechanical linkages and deployable structures, to the analysis of bond-node structures in proteins and materials and the localization and formation control of autonomous multi-agent systems.
The aim of this meeting is to bring together experienced and early career researchers with expertise in the rigidity and flexibility of discrete geometric structures to share perspectives and present new breakthroughs. The roots of this field lie in works of Augustin-Louis Cauchy (rigidity of convex polyhedra) and James Clerk Maxwell (rigidity of bar-joint frameworks) and its development has flourished over the past several decades due to both theoretical and computational advances as well as the emergence of new application areas. As in previous years, this meeting will once again include an applied theme, namely formation control, and it will bring together specialists in discrete mathematics, in rigidity and symmetry, and in computer science and engineering.
Organisers: Derek Kitson, Tony Nixon, Steve Power, Bernd Schulze
This meeting is supported by an EPSRC New Investigator Award "An operator-theoretic approach to graph rigidity" and the School of Mathematical Sciences, Lancaster University.
