Multi-Agent Reinforcement Learning Based Stable Path Tracking Control for a Bionic Robotic Fish With Reaction Wheel

The path tracking of the robotic fish is a hotspot with its high maneuverability and environmental friendliness. However, the periodic oscillation generated by bionic fish-like propulsion mode may lead to unstable control. To this end, this paper proposes a novel framework involving a newly-designed platform and multi-agent reinforcement learning (MARL) method. Firstly, a bionic robotic fish equipped with a reaction wheel is developed to enhance the stability. Secondly, a MARL-based control framework is proposed for the cooperative control of tail-beating and reaction wheel. Correspondingly, a hierarchical training method including initial training and iterative training is designed to deal with the control coupling and frequency difference between two agents. Finally, extensive simulations and experiments indicate that the developed robotic fish and proposed MARL-based control framework can effectively improve the accuracy and stability of path tracking. Remarkably, the head-shaking is reduced about 40%. It provides a promising reference for the stability optimization and cooperative control of bionic swimming robots featuring oscillatory motions.