Nonlinear control techniques for flexible joint manipulators: A single link case study

In this paper we study the nonlinear control problem for a single link manipulator with joint elasticity. We illustrate several recent nonlinear control techniques, namely feedback linearization, integral manifold and composite control. We work out in detail both a global feedback linearizing control law and a nonlinear composite control law based on a singular perturbation formulation of the manipulator dynamics and the concept of integral manifold. The two solutions are then compared and contrasted.