Introduction

This chapter overviews some recent research progress in cooperative control of complex network systems over directed switching communication topologies. Distributed cooperation of complex network systems, including synchronization of complex networks and consensus control of multiagent systems, has been a very active research topic in a wide variety of scientific communities, ranging from applied mathematics to physics, engineering and biology, even to sociology. In Section 1.1, complex network systems include multiagent systems and complex networks are introduced. In Section 1.2, definitions of synchronization of complex networks and consensus of multiagent systems are given, moreover, some differences between these two topics are briefly summarized. In Section 1.3, the research progress of synchronization of complex networks with switching topologies are presented. In Section 1.4, the research progress of consensus of multiagent systems with switching topologies are presented. In Section 1.5, we conclude this chapter by presenting some future works from our own viewpoint.