Fixed-time consensus for a class of nonlinear uncertain multi-agent systems

In this paper we propose a novel local interaction rule providing consensus in a network of nonlinear uncertain first-order agents communicating through a connected, and possibly switching, graph topology. Particularly, consensus is achieved after a finite settling time which, additionally, admits an upper bound independent on the initial conditions of the agent states. This property, called fixed-time convergence, is achieved thanks to suitable polynomial terms in the control laws. Lyapunov analysis is presented to support the convergence features of the proposed local interaction rule, and simulation results are discussed for validating the underlying performance.