  In this paper, we study finite-time state consensus problems for continuous
nonlinear multi-agent systems. Building on the theory of finite-time Lyapunov
stability, we propose sufficient criteria which guarantee the system to reach a
consensus in finite time, provided that the underlying directed network
contains a spanning tree. Novel finite-time consensus protocols are introduced
as examples for applying the criteria. Simulations are also presented to
illustrate our theoretical results.
