Force/Position Control for Flexible Joint Robot Using Super-Twisting Algorithm

The performances of the force / position control schemes of industrial manipulators for position and force trajectories tracking are affected by the robot joints flexibility and the dynamic robot uncertainties. This paper aims to improve the robustness of the classical external force control scheme, proposed in the literature, by applying a new approach based on the super-twisting algorithm in its internal position control loop. Simulation results using the models of a three DOF robot manipulator show good tracking of position and applied force, and a clear reduction in chattering.