Analysis and design of an embedded fuzzy motion controller for a behavior-based nonholonomic mobile robot

In this study, a fully autonomous mobile robot is built successfully by using the behavior-based artificial intelligence approach. Several levels of competences and behaviors are implemented. Each module itself in the developed mobile robot generates behaviors, and the improvement in the competence of the system proceeds by adding new modules to the system. Analysis and design of fuzzy control laws for steering control of the autonomous nonholonomic mobile robot are presented. The approach uses Lyapunov's direct method to formulate a class of control laws that guarantee the convergence of the steering error. Certain requirements for the control laws are presented for the designers to choose a suitable rule base for the fuzzy controller in order to make the system asymptotically stable. The stability of the proposed fuzzy controller is approached theoretically and also demonstrated by simulation studies. Simulations using the model of a four degree-of-freedom nonholonomic mobile robot are conducted to investigate the performance of the proposed fuzzy controller. The mobile robot can achieve the desired turn angle and follow the target satisfactorily.