A novel application of multivariable ℒ1 adaptive control: From design to real-time implementation on an underwater vehicle

This paper presents the design and experimental implementation of an ℒ
₁
adaptive control on a tethered underwater vehicle. This controller, well known for its fast adaptation and its robustness, is proposed to be applied for the first time in the field of underwater vehicles control. This paper summarizes the implementation and experimental results obtained on a modified version of the AC-ROV underwater vehicle. Various experimental scenarios are presented to illustrate the ability of the ℒ
₁
adaptive law not only to successfully control pitch and depth (even with strong modeling uncertainties), but also to be efficient towards disturbances like waves or buoyancy changes.