Model Predictive Control Based Path Following of an Amphibious Robot

The path following of the amphibious robot is rarely investigated. This paper deals with the following control issue of a fish-inspired amphibious robot. Firstly, land and underwater kinematic models of the robot are established. Based on the kinematic model, we formulate a nonlinear model predictive control method. Then, a gradual switching strategy of the robot’s terrestrial and aquatic motion modes is proposed. By combining the model predictive control method and the gradual switching strategy, the robot is able to follow the path across land and water. Simulation results of following circle and sine-like paths verify the effectiveness of the presented control method. Moreover, the gradual switching strategy is able to maintain stable following when the path switches between land and water.