Finite-Time Control of Myringotomy Surgical Device Based on Nonsingular Terminal Sliding Disturbance Observer

This paper presents a disturbance observer-based nonsingular terminal sliding mode control design for a myringotomy surgical device. The methodology is established to control a semi-automated hand-held ear surgical device for the treatment of otitis media with effusion. Otitis media with effusion is the collection of bacterial fluid in the middle ear space which can potentially lead to hearing loss and chronic infections. A finite-time terminal sliding surface is proposed and a nonsingular terminal sliding control is constructed. The control approach fulfils precise tracking of the desired motion trajectory in the presence of disturbances, nonlinearities and uncertainties. The stability of the control approach is analyzed. In addition, the tracking control of the myringotomy surgical device is proven mathematically and the simulation results confirm the applicability and efficiency of the proposed approach and a precise tracking performance following desired motion trajectory is demonstrated in the simulations.