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RESEARCH ARTICLE

Consensus control of fractional-order singular MAS via adaptive pinning under switching topologies

Ammar Alsinai1* ,  Azmat Ullah Khan Niazi2 ,  Maryam Iqbal2 ,  Aseel Smerat3
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1 Department of Computer Science, College of Engineering and Information Technology, Onaizah Colleges, Qassim, Saudi Arabia
2 Department of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of Lahore, Sargodha, Punjab, Pakistan
3 Hourani Center for Applied Scientific Research, Al-Ahliyya Amman University, Amman, Jordan
IJOCTA, 025280123 https://doi.org/10.36922/IJOCTA025280123
Received: 12 July 2025 | Revised: 9 November 2025 | Accepted: 14 November 2025 | Published online: 16 January 2026
© 2026 by the Author(s). This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution -Noncommercial 4.0 International License (CC-by the license) ( https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ )
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Abstract

Fractional-order multi-agent systems with singular dynamics and time-varying network structures have gained increasing attention due to their ability to model complex interconnected processes with memory effects and algebraic constraints. In this paper, a novel adaptive pinning control framework for fractional-order singular multi-agent systems under switching topologies is proposed to achieve leader-following consensus. The proposed method simultaneously handles memory-dependent fractional dynamics, algebraic constraints from system singularity, and changing network connectivity, thereby addressing important limitations of traditional methods. By using a distributed adaptive protocol that only needs a small percentage of agents to be pinned, the technique dramatically lowers control complexity without sacrificing performance. Numerical simulations showed the framework’s practical superiority over currently existing methods in terms of convergence rate and robustness, while analytical results based on fractional Lyapunov theory established rigorous stability conditions that account for system uncertainties. Through an integrated approach to managing entangled fractional, singular, and network dynamic characteristics, these contributions enhance the control of intricate multi-agent systems. The proposed framework explicitly handles switching topologies through average dwell-time conditions and jointly connected graphs, providing rigorous stability guarantees under dynamic network changes.

Keywords
Fractional-order
Fractional-order multi-agent systems
Consensus control
Lyapunov stability and adaptive pinning strategies
Distributed multi-agent systems
Funding
The authors express their sincere gratitude and appreciation to [Onaizah Colleges, Saudi Arabia] for providing APC funding for this research.
Conflict of interest
The authors declare that they have no competing interests, or other interests that might be perceived to influence the results and/or discussion reported in this paper.
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