Study on the Backstepping Sliding Mode-Based Tracking Control Method for the SUR

To improve autonomous and tracking capabilities when the spherical underwater robot (SUR) performs complex tasks such as inspection, patrol and aquaculture, etc. This paper presented a path tracking method rooted in backstepping sliding mode control (BSMC) for the SUR. Through the derivation of the robot’s kinematic and dynamic models, a novel control scheme for the SUR was developed. Then, the Lyapunov function was applied to enhance the stability and robustness of the BSMC in unknown environments. Ultimately, this paper utilized Matlab to carry out the path tracking simulation of the SUR, thereby validating the effectiveness of the proposed method. The experimental results demonstrated that the proposed BSMC method boosted the SUR’s path tracking capabilities and met the task’s requirements.