In this article, a finite-time fractional-order (FTFO) control is investigated for the multiagent formation system based on a switching function. There are three aspects associated with the algorithm. First, a smooth switching function is designed to realize the fast switching and recovery of agent formation. Second, to limit the tracking errors of the multiagent formation system to a certain range in finite time, the finite-time prescribed performance function (PPF) is employed to restrict the errors. Third, an FTFO disturbance observer is constructed to compensate for the adverse effects of external disturbances. Under this design framework, the multiagent formation system can not only realize the transformation and recovery of the formation in a very fast time, but also ensure that all the errors of the system are stabilized in a finite time. Experimental validation is performed for the uncrewed aerial vehicle (UAV)/uncrewed ground vehicle (UGV) formation to demonstrate the efficacy of the proposed algorithm.
Shao et al. (Thu,) studied this question.