Tracking control of an articulated intervention AUV in 6DOF using the generalized super-twisting algorithm

The articulated intervention AUV (AIAUV) is an underwater swimming manipulator (USM) with intervention capabilities. Station-keeping and trajectory tracking are essential for the AIAUV to be able to move in confined spaces and to perform intervention tasks. In this paper we propose using the generalized super twisting algorithm, which is an extension of the regular super-twisting algorithm, for the trajectory tracking of the joint angles, position and orientation of the base of the AIAUV in 6DOF. Furthermore, we show the ultimate boundedness of the tracking errors. We also demonstrate the applicability of the proposed control law and compare the performance with the regular super-twisting algorithm with adaptive gains.