Distributed robust control for consensus in heterogeneous multi-agent systems with delayed and disturbed inputs

This paper explores the issue of achieving heterogeneous multi-agent systems (HMASs) group consensus in the presence of input delays and disturbances, such as sensor and actuator attacks. The study explores the dynamics of second-order and first-order agents within a multi-agent network, where disturbances impact the positions, velocities, and control inputs of the agents. A distributed consensus protocol is employed, considering both directed and undirected communication topologies, to derive sufficient conditions for achieving group consensus despite the presence of sensor and actuator disruptions. Additionally, the influence of input delays is analyzed, and an upper bound for delay is determined to ensure system stability. The results demonstrate that heterogeneous agents can still reach consensus under weakly connected topologies, and that disturbances do not prevent asymptotic consensus within each network subgroup. This research contributes to the design of robust control strategies for real-world applications involving complex and dynamic multi-agent systems. Simulation results are presented to validate the theoretical findings, and the paper concludes with recommendations for further exploration in the domain of consensus under delays and disturbances.