Robust model-free formation control with prescribed performance for nonlinear multi-agent systems

In this paper, we consider the formation control problem for multi-agent systems with unknown nonlinearities and disturbances, under an undirected communication protocol. Exploiting the recently developed prescribed performance control methodology, a robust distributed control scheme of minimal complexity is proposed that achieves and maintains arbitrarily fast and accurately the desired formation. No information regarding the agents´ dynamic model is employed in the design procedure. Moreover, contrary to the related works on multi-agent systems, the transient and steady state response is fully decoupled by the underlying graph topology, the control gains selection and the agents´ model uncertainties. In particular, the achieved performance is a priori and explicitly imposed by certain designer-specified performance functions. Finally, the theoretical findings are clarified and verified by an extensive simulation study.