Robust H∞ Time-Varying Formation Tracking for Heterogeneous Multi-Agent Systems with Unknown Control Input

This paper studies the robust H∞ time-varying formation tracking (TVFT) problem for heterogeneous nonlinear multi-agent systems (MASs) with parameter uncertainties, external disturbances, and unknown leader inputs. The objective is to ensure that follower agents track the leader’s trajectory while achieving a desired time-varying formation, even under unmodeled dynamics and disturbances. Unlike existing methods that rely on global topology information or homogeneous system assumptions, an adaptive control protocol is proposed in full distribution, requiring no global topology information, and integrates nonlinear compensation terms to handle unknown leader inputs and parameter uncertainties. Based on the Lyapunov theory and laplacian matrix, a robust H∞ TVFT criterion is developed. Finally, a numerical example is given to verify the theory.