Robust Formation Control for Nonlinear Heterogeneous Multiagent Systems Based on Adaptive Event-Triggered Strategy

In this article, a distributed adaptive event-triggered formation control strategy is proposed for unified nonlinear heterogeneous multiagent systems under uncertainties and disturbances to achieve time-varying formations. To reduce the frequency of data transmission, a distributed dual adaptive observer with an event-triggered strategy is developed to estimate the states of a reference exosystem. Without incurring prior global information about a communication graph, a novel robust formation controller, with dynamic distributed compensators for uncertainties and disturbances, is designed based on an observer result and a nonlinear internal control principle. Finally, both simulation and experiment are conducted for tracking and patrolling formation to verify the effectiveness of the proposed formation control strategy and its robustness. Note to Practitioners—This article addresses the collaborative formation problem of multiagent systems that has potential applications in transportation and disaster relief. The design of robust and energy-saving coordination strategies is challenging in heterogeneous multivehicle systems. The proposed distributed method is suitable for large-scale uncertain heterogeneous systems, and the use of the dual adaptive event-triggered strategy reduces the data transmission rate.