Adaptive Nonlinear Controller for High-Speed Marine Vehicle Trajectory Tracking: Theory and Practice

This paper addresses the challenge of developing an integrated nonlinear adaptive controller for under-actuated high-speed marine vehicles equipped with a propeller and rudder. Leveraging a previously identified model, the proposed controller is designed to ensure trajectory tracking despite constant external disturbances and unknown dynamical parameters. A detailed description of our cost-effective testing setup based on the PX4 ecosystem is provided, enabling researchers to readily replicate this high-speed ASV research platform capable of speeds up to 12 m/s. Experimental results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed system, with the vehicle successfully following a challenging trajectory consisting of arcs and straight lines at speeds up to 3 m/s.