Distributed Finite-Time Formation Control for Multiple Nonholonomic Mobile Robots

In this paper, the finite-time formation control problem for a group of nonholonomic mobile robots is considered. A distributed finite-time estimator is proposed to estimate leader’s state in finite time. Then, based on the estimated values of estimator, a distributed finite-time formation control law is designed. With the help of finite-time Lyapunov theory and graph theory, rigorous proof shows that the group of mobile robots can converge to desired formation pattern and its centroid can converge to the desired trajectory in finite time. Simulations are given to verify the effectiveness of the method.