Robust sliding mode controller for a class of under-actuated systems

Due to nonlinearities and uncertainties, the dynamic characteristics of underactuated systems are very difficult to obtain precisely. In this paper we develop a robust controller based on sliding mode control for the control of a class of underactuated systems. The stability of the proposed controller is proved with the Lyapunov function method. Simulation results made on a flexible link manipulator are given to illustrate effectiveness of our approach.