Dynamics and control of autonomous vehicles

Underwater vehicle dynamics are nonlinear and contain substantial uncertainty due to disturbances and modeling error. In this paper, a research effort is outlined that addresses this problem from two perspectives. First, robust nonlinear control techniques are described. These methods directly address problems associated with nonlinearities and model error. Second, the paper summarizes recent advances in hydrodynamic modeling and describes our efforts to integrate these models with the modern nonlinear control techniques described earlier.