Performance of Kinematic, Backstepping, and Pure Pursuit Controllers for Multi-Robot Traffic Lane Closure

This paper presents a simulation-based approach for controlling a system of three autonomous cone-robots designed for the gradual closure of high-traffic roads in maintenance scenarios. The study examines the enhancement of the robots' trajectory tracking through a cascade control system that incorporates an inner-loop PID controller for motor speed regulation and an outer-loop trajectory controller. Three different trajectory control strategies-kinematic, backstepping, and pure pursuit-are proposed and compared using multiple reference paths. For validation purposes, the selected control architecture is then integrated into a simulated 3D environment replicating real-world road conditions, allowing for an in-depth evaluation of the proposal. The results demonstrate that the combination of a PI controller for motor speed control and a pure pursuit algorithm for trajectory tracking provides the best trade-off between accuracy and responsiveness.