Neural Adaptive Finite-Time Formation Tracking Control for Manipulator End Effectors Under Input Constraints

This work investigates the formation tracking issue for multirobot manipulator end-effectors under input constraints. A distributed formation control law is designed to guarantee the finite-time boundedness of tracking errors within the framework. To estimate the significant bias of dynamics discovered during practical multirobot collaborative manipulation tasks, a bias radial basis function neural network (RBFNN) is integrated, along with a designed adaptive updating law for expeditious approximation. In addition, an anti-windup compensator within a finite-time framework is specifically introduced to mitigate the input saturation issue arising from torque limitations in joint actuators. Finally, the system’s semi-global practical finite-time boundedness (SGPFTB) is rigorously established through Lyapunov theory. Five planar manipulators are employed in comparative computational experiments to validate the feasibility of the presented control strategy.