The present paper proposes the use of a hybrid connectionist system as
a learning controller with reconfiguration capability. Embedded with
adjustable time-delays, an adaptive radial basis function network offe
rs an effective modeling technique to capture most of the spatiotempor
al interactions among the structure members. A fuzzy-based fault diagn
osis system is applied for health monitoring to provide the neural con
troller with various failure scenarios. Associative memory is incorpor
ated to compensate for catastrophic changes of structural parameters b
y providing a continuous solution space of acceptable controller confi
gurations. This paper addresses the theoretical foundation of architec
ture and demonstrates its applicability via specific examples.