  In this paper, we propose a new control design scheme for solving the
obstacle avoidance problem for nonlinear driftless control-affine systems. The
class of systems under consideration satisfies controllability conditions with
iterated Lie brackets up to the second order. The time-varying control strategy
is defined explicitly in terms of the gradient of a potential function. It is
shown that the limit behavior of the closed-loop system is characterized by the
set of critical points of the potential function. The proposed control design
method can be used under rather general assumptions on potential functions, and
particular applications with navigation functions are illustrated by numerical
examples.
