Adaptive estimator-based formation maneuvering control of nonholonomic mobile robots

In this paper, the formation maneuvering control problem for a group of nonholonomic mobile robots with the objective of having a desired formation shape described by distances between pairs of robots and an overall maneuvering velocity is studied. The desired maneuvering velocity, which can be constant or time-varying, is only known to a set of agents. A control scheme consisting of an adaptive estimator and a modified gradient control law is proposed to solve this problem. The adaptive estimator is designed to estimate the desired maneuvering velocity in either constant or time-varying situation. Utilizing the estimated velocity, a modified gradient control law is designed based on the nonholonomic kinematic model so that the objective is achieved. Local asymptotic convergence of the overall system is guaranteed by choosing appropriate control parameters. The effectiveness of the proposed control scheme is demonstrated through simulation results.