Stability study of a fuzzy controlled mobile robot

In the present paper we study the stability properties of a fuzzy controlled mobile robot moving in a cluttered environment. To this end, a simple approximation process for a linguistically designed fuzzy controller, producing a representative analytic function, is introduced and some of its features are discussed. This enables use of analytic methods, i.e. Lyapunov theory, to investigate the asymptotic properties of fuzzy controlled systems. In particular, the problems of asymptotic stabilization and of local navigation for a simple (kinematic) mobile robot are addressed and solved.