A combined backstepping/second order sliding mode approach to control a class of nonlinear systems

A combined adaptive/variable structure control approach is presented in this note, which exploits the good properties of the backstepping procedure, on one side, and of a second order sliding mode control algorithm, on the other. It retains the stability and convergence features of the original adaptive strategy, allowing, in addition, the presence of nonparametric uncertainties in the last two equations of the system, as well as ensuring robustness and a reduction of the computational load