Based on wheeled mobile robots (WMRs) with unknown longitudinal slipping parameters, an adaptive control strategy for a tracked mobile robot is presented, in which the longitudinal slipping of the left and right wheels are described by two unknown parameters. The kinematic model of mobile robot with wheels’ slipping is derived from the motion model of mobile robot without wheels’ slipping. Employing the Lyapunov direct method, an adaptive nonlinear feedback control law that compensates for the longitudinal slipping is proposed to achieve an objective of tracking a given trajectory. The orientation angle observer is designed to estimate the immeasurable orientation angle of the robot by employing the coordinate information. Asymptotic stability of the closed-loop system is ensured by choosing an appropriate Lyapunov function. Numerical and experimental results show the effectiveness of the proposed control approach.

Considering the stiffness characteristics of piezoelectric layer, the bending stiffness of piezoelectric cantilever beam is obtained by applying the first-order shear deformation theory. The finite element model of piezoelectric cantilever beam is established by Hamilton variation principle, and the modal superposition method is employed to reduce the order of the finite element model. At the maximum strain point, the sensors/actuators are equipped in pairs. Based on the uncertain dynamic model of piezoelectric cantilever beam, the independent modal space control method based on LQR (linear quadratic regulator) control is employed for the active control of the smart beam structure, and the weighted matrices Q and R are selected according to the energy criterion. The numerical simulations and experiments verify the effectiveness of the proposed finite element model and the active vibration optimal control.