Sliding Mode Control for Safe Trajectory Tracking with Moving Obstacles Avoidance: Experimental Validation on Planar Robots

Fuente: arXiv
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Main Authors: Sawarkar, Shubham, Sangeerth, P, Saharsh, S, Jagtap, Pushpak
Format: Preprint
Published: 2026
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author Sawarkar, Shubham
Sangeerth, P
Saharsh, S
Jagtap, Pushpak
author_facet Sawarkar, Shubham
Sangeerth, P
Saharsh, S
Jagtap, Pushpak
contents This paper presents a unified control framework for robust trajectory tracking and moving obstacle avoidance applicable to a broad class of mobile robots. By formulating a generalized kinematic transformation, we convert diverse vehicle dynamics into a strict feedback form, facilitating the design of a Sliding Mode Control (SMC) strategy for precise and robust reference tracking. To ensure operational safety in dynamic environments, the tracking controller is integrated with a Collision Cone Control Barrier Function (C3BF) based safety filter. The proposed architecture guarantees asymptotic tracking in the presence of external disturbances while strictly enforcing collision avoidance constraints. The novelty of this work lies in designing a sliding mode controller for ground robots like the Ackermann drive, which has not been done before. The efficacy and versatility of the approach are validated through numerical simulations and extensive real-world experiments on three distinct platforms: an Ackermann-steered vehicle, a differential drive robot, and a quadrotor drone. Video of the experiments are available at https://youtu.be/dWcxwum96vk
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2604_24518
institution arXiv
publishDate 2026
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Sliding Mode Control for Safe Trajectory Tracking with Moving Obstacles Avoidance: Experimental Validation on Planar Robots
Sawarkar, Shubham
Sangeerth, P
Saharsh, S
Jagtap, Pushpak
Systems and Control
Robotics
Optimization and Control
This paper presents a unified control framework for robust trajectory tracking and moving obstacle avoidance applicable to a broad class of mobile robots. By formulating a generalized kinematic transformation, we convert diverse vehicle dynamics into a strict feedback form, facilitating the design of a Sliding Mode Control (SMC) strategy for precise and robust reference tracking. To ensure operational safety in dynamic environments, the tracking controller is integrated with a Collision Cone Control Barrier Function (C3BF) based safety filter. The proposed architecture guarantees asymptotic tracking in the presence of external disturbances while strictly enforcing collision avoidance constraints. The novelty of this work lies in designing a sliding mode controller for ground robots like the Ackermann drive, which has not been done before. The efficacy and versatility of the approach are validated through numerical simulations and extensive real-world experiments on three distinct platforms: an Ackermann-steered vehicle, a differential drive robot, and a quadrotor drone. Video of the experiments are available at https://youtu.be/dWcxwum96vk
title Sliding Mode Control for Safe Trajectory Tracking with Moving Obstacles Avoidance: Experimental Validation on Planar Robots
topic Systems and Control
Robotics
Optimization and Control
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2604.24518