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Summary In this paper, a novel robust adaptive trajectory tracking control scheme with prescribed performance is developed for underactuated autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) subject to unknown dynamic parameters and disturbances. A simple error mapping function is proposed in order to guarantee that the trajectory tracking error satisfies the prescribed performance. A novel additional control based on Nussbaum function is proposed to handle the underactuation of AUVs. The compounded uncertain item caused by the unknown dynamic parameters and disturbances is transformed into a linear parametric form with only single unknown parameter called virtual parameter. On the basis of the above, a novel robust adaptive trajectory tracking control law is developed using dynamic surface control technique, where the adaptive law online provides the estimation of the virtual parameter. Strict stability analysis indicates that the designed control law ensures uniform ultimate boundedness of the AUV trajectory tracking closed‐loop control system with prescribed tracking performance. Simulation results on an AUV in two different disturbance cases with dynamic parameter perturbation verify the effectiveness of our adaptive trajectory tracking control scheme.

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