Secure Formation Control for Multiple Uncertain Mobile Robots under Replay Attacks

This study focuses on the secure formation control (SFC) problem for multi-mobile robot (multi-MR) systems subject to uncertain dynamics, communication delays, and replay attacks. First, an extended state observer (ESO) is introduced to approximate the external disturbances and system uncertainties, enhancing the robustness of the system. Then, each robot is assigned a data analyzer to detect replay attacks. Using the backstepping method, the proposed timestamp-independent data analyzer, and the dynamic control gain strategy, an ESO-based secure formation control method is developed, which ensures the formation group to successfully complete the given tasks despite replay attacks and communication delays. In the end, numerical experiments are carried out to validate the proposed secure formation control approach.