Neural Robust Control on Lie Groups Using Contraction Methods (Extended Version)

arXiv cs.RO / 4/3/2026

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Key Points

  • The paper introduces a learning framework to design robust controllers for dynamical systems that evolve on Lie groups by jointly training a robust control contraction metric (RCCM) and a neural feedback controller.
  • It derives sufficient conditions for the existence of an RCCM and the neural controller that satisfy contraction constraints while respecting the manifold’s geometric structure.
  • The framework produces a disturbance-dependent “tube” that bounds output trajectories, providing robustness guarantees tied to contraction behavior.
  • A quadrotor control case study demonstrates the approach, with results from numerical simulations compared against a geometric controller.

Abstract

In this paper, we propose a learning framework for synthesizing a robust controller for dynamical systems evolving on a Lie group. A robust control contraction metric (RCCM) and a neural feedback controller are jointly trained to enforce contraction conditions on the Lie group manifold. Sufficient conditions are derived for the existence of such an RCCM and neural controller, ensuring that the geometric constraints imposed by the manifold structure are respected while establishing a disturbance-dependent tube that bounds the output trajectories. As a case study, a feedback controller for a quadrotor is designed using the proposed framework. Its performance is evaluated using numerical simulations and compared with a geometric controller.