Machado, J. A. Tenreiro2016-12-142016-12-14199785-900351-1-5http://hdl.handle.net/10400.22/8812This article studies the variable structure control of robot manipulators with joints having flexibility and backlash. A second order reference model and a smooth control law eliminate the reaching phase problems and the chattering usually present in the sliding mode. The results show a remarkable improvement of the stability over conventional variable structure controllers, while the algorithm maintains a low computational load.engbook