Output feedback control of a skid-steered mobile robot based on the super-twisting algorithm

This paper presents the design and implementation of an output feedback controller based on the super twisting algorithm (STA) that stabilizes the trajectory tracking error of a skid steered mobile robot (SSMR). The control scheme introduces a diffeomorphism based on the mathematical model of the SSMR to transform the original problem into a third order chain of integrators. In this study, the available measurements are the position and orientation of the SSMR. A modified STA working as a step by step differentiator estimates the velocity and acceleration of the mobile robot. Then, a second STA enforces the tracking of a predefined trajectory. Numerical and experimental results comparing the STA with a state feedback controller (SFC) and a first order sliding mode controller (FOSM) justify the control proposal.