Publication
Recent advances in tracking control of hydrobatic AUVs
Tom Vincent Slawik; Leif Christensen; Frank Kirchner
In: at - Automatisierungstechnik, Vol. 74, No. 2, Pages 91-101, De Gruyter, 3/2026.
Abstract
The term hydrobatics is inspired by aerobatics and refers to a new class of highly dynamic maneuvers performed by Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUVs)
with maximum agility and precision. Due to the complex interaction with the ocean environment, advanced control systems are required, which allow for precise maneuvering despite model uncertainties and external disturbances such as ocean currents. In addition, time-critical maneuvers often demand formal timing guarantees, such as fixedtime or finite-time convergence. Nonlinear Model Predictive Control (NMPC) is one of the dominant approaches
for tracking control, due to its ability to handle nonlinear models and its constraint satisfaction guarantees. However, classical control strategies - including Sliding Mode Control (SMC), Backstepping, and Incremental Nonlinear Dynamic Inversion (INDI) also remain relevant, due to their robustness to model uncertainties and lower computational demands. This work provides an overview of the recent advances in control strategies for hydrobatic AUVs, with a focus on robustness, performance guarantees, and timingaware control design.