Distributed H∞ robust control of uncertain linear multi-agent systems

The distributed H_∞ robust control problem, for a group of autonomous agents governed by uncertain general linear node dynamics, is investigated in this paper. Based on the relative local information and the absolute information of a fraction of agents, some new distributed observer-type output-feedback control protocols are designed and analyzed. By using tools from robust control theory, sufficient conditions for the existence of controllers for solving such a problem are established. It is theoretically shown that the problem of distributed H_∞ robust control can be converted to the H_∞ control problem for decoupled linear systems of the same low dimensions. Finally, simulation examples are provided to illustrate the effectiveness of the design.