Observer-based feedback control for stabilization of collective motion

Collective motion of a multi-vehicle testbed has applications in weather monitoring and ocean sampling. Previous work in this field has produced theoretically justified algorithms for stabilization of parallel and circular motions of self-propelled particles using measurements of relative position and relative velocity. This paper describes an observer-based feedback algorithm for stabilization of parallel and circular motions using measurements of relative position only. This algorithm utilizes information about the particle dynamics and turning rates to estimate the relative velocities. We describe a laboratory-scale underwater vehicle testbed on which the algorithm is being implemented.