In this paper, a robust adaptive sliding mode controller is designed for a mobile platform trajectory tracking. The mobile platform is an example of a nonholonomic mechanical system. The presence of holonomic constraints reduces the number of degree of freedom that represents the system model, while the nonholonomic constraints reduce the differentiable degree of freedom. The mathematical model was derived here for the mobile platform, considering the existence of one holonomic and two nonholonomic constraints imposed on system dynamics. The partial feedback linearization method was used to get the input-output relation, where the output is the error functions between the position of a certain point on the platform and the desired path. The dynamic error model was considered uncertain and subjected to friction torques on the wheels. The adaptive sliding mode control was utilized to design a robust controller, that will force the platform to follow the desired trajectory. The simulation of the proposed controller was done via MATLAB to reveal the ability of the robust adaptive sliding mode controller applied as a trajectory tracker for various path shapes.
