A finite-time motion control strategy for odor source localization

This paper deals with the problem of odor source localization by designing and analyzing a finite-time motion control strategy (FTMCS), which consists of a finite-time parallel motion control algorithm and a finite-time circular motion control algorithm. Specifically, a motion control architecture is first given and includes two important modules: 1) a coordinating control module; and 2) a tracking control module. In the coordinating control module, robots communicate with each other to coordinate their virtual position and virtual velocity such that the virtual velocity consensus and the accurate virtual shape decided by the potential function can be reached within a finite-time interval. In the tracking control module, a finite-time tracking control algorithm is implemented such that the real velocity and the real position of the robot can track the virtual velocity and the virtual position within a finite-time interval. Based on the proposed motion control architecture, a finite-time parallel motion control algorithm that can control a group of robots to trace a plume, is derived. Moreover, a finite-time circular motion control algorithm that can enable the robot group to search for odor clues is also designed. Finally, simulations are worked out to illustrate the effectiveness of the FTMCS for odor source localization.