GA-Optimized Fractional-Order Sliding Mode Control for Robust Tracking of Flying Robots

This paper proposes a novel fractional-order terminal sliding mode controller (FOTSMC) for quadrotor systems, designed to achieve singularity-free and robust simultaneous tracking of position and attitude under bounded uncertainties and disturbances. By integrating fractional-order dynamics with a nonsingular terminal sliding surface, the controller ensures precise trajectory tracking with smooth, low-effort control signals while significantly reducing chattering. Key parameters are optimized using genetic algorithms to enhance robustness and convergence speed, yielding superior performance over conventional integer-order SMC. A Lyapunov-based analysis rigorously establishes finite-time stability of the designed sliding surfaces in the presence of model uncertainties and external disturbances, confirming the controller's high tracking accuracy and strong disturbance rejection capability.