Covering fractional order theory, simulation and experiments, this book explains how fractional order modelling and fractional order controller design compares favourably with traditional velocity and position control systems. The authors systematically compare the two approaches using applied fractional calculus. Stability theory in fractional order controllers design is also analysed. * Presents material suitable for a variety of real-world applications, including hard disk drives, vehicular controls, robot control and micropositioners in DNA microarray analysis * Includes extensive experimental results from both lab bench level tests and industrial level, mass-production-ready implementations * Covers detailed derivations and numerical simulations for each case * Discusses feasible design specifications, ideal for practicing engineers The book also covers key topics including: fractional order disturbance cancellation and adaptive learning control studies for external disturbances; optimization approaches for nonlinear system control and design schemes with backlash and friction. Illustrations and experimental validations are included for each of the proposed control schemes to enable readers to develop a clear understanding of the approaches covered, and move on to apply them in real-world scenarios.