Intrinsic Path Following on $\mathsf{SO}(3)$

Abstract

This paper studies intrinsic path following for fully actuated rigid-body attitude dynamics over a broad class of attitude paths, namely arbitrary smooth embedded closed curves on $\mathsf{SO}(3)$. We construct a tangential--transverse state decomposition on a tubular neighborhood using normal and pullback bundle geometry. The resulting second-order dynamics admit a smooth feedback transformation that independently assigns tangential and transverse covariant accelerations. A transverse proportional--derivative law renders the path-following manifold invariant and locally uniformly exponentially stable on an explicit forward-invariant neighborhood, while leaving the tangential dynamics freely assignable. This allows independent regulation of progression along the path, stabilization of a selected attitude on the path, or tracking of a time-varying motion. For a representative fiber path, the tubular coordinates are obtained in closed form up to the natural cut-locus obstruction, and simulations illustrate point stabilization and trajectory tracking.