Tracking control of a mobile robot using a neural dynamics based approach

In this paper, a novel tracking control approach is proposed for real-time navigation of a nonholonomic mobile robot. The proposed tracking controller is based on the error dynamics analysis of the mobile robot and a neural dynamics model derived from Hodgkin-Huxley's membrane model of a biological system. The stability of the control system and the convergence of tracking errors to zeros are guaranteed by a Lyapunov stability theory. Unlike many tracking control methods for mobile robots where the generated control velocities start with large initial velocities, the proposed neural dynamics based approach is capable of generating smooth, continuous robot control signals with zero initial velocities. In addition, it can deal with the situation with a very large tracking error. The effectiveness and efficiency are demonstrated by comparison and simulation studies.