Finite‐Time Controller for Robot Bilateral Teleoperation Without Velocity Measurements

Abstract This paper addresses the finite‐time teleoperation problem of fully‐actuated Euler–Lagrange systems in the joint space in the absence of velocity measurements. The controller is a continuous‐time nonlinear proportional plus damping injection scheme that employs a first‐order velocity filter to inject damping. If the human operator and the environment are passive, then boundedness of the teleoperation system state is ensured. To establish finite‐time convergence, we first demonstrate that the controller provides global asymptotic stability in the absence of external forces. Then, we show that the closed‐loop system admits a homogeneous approximation of negative degree, which is used to characterize the stability of the equilibrium. Experimental results with a teleoperation system composed of two robotic manipulators validate the effectiveness of our approach.