Robust nonsingular fast terminal sliding-mode control for Sit-to-Stand task using a mobile lower limb exoskeleton

In this paper, a Nonsingular Fast Terminal Sliding Mode Control (RNFTSMC) is proposed to regulate the position of a mobile lower limb exoskeleton powered by linear actuators with four degrees of freedom. The developed lower limb exoskeleton has the purpose to assist the sit-to-stand and stand-to-sit tasks for people with spinal cord injury (SCI) or elderly people. Currently most of the developed lower limb exoskeletons are dealing with the presence of uncertainties (unmodeled dynamics) and external disturbances (mass changes, opposite forces), caused by the high complexity of the human limbs dynamics. The RNFTSMC has the purpose of dealing with these uncertainties, ensuring a rapid convergence in finite time to the desired position, and reducing the chattering effect produced by the nature of the controller actuators.