Pitfalls in applying optimal control to dynamical systems: An overview and editorial perspective

Abstract

<p style='text-indent:20px;'>In recent years, an increasing number of papers have been published (and many more submitted for publication) in which optimal control theory is superficially applied to specific problems, especially from the biological and health sciences, but also many other fields. A lack of understanding of what it actually means to solve an optimal control problem—complex infinite-dimensional optimization problems—often leads to heavily overblown claims about optimality of solutions. In this editorial, a critical assessment of these efforts is given.</p>