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Robotics publishes Special Issues to create collections of papers on specific topics, with the aim of building a community of authors and readers to discuss the latest research and develop new ideas and research directions. Special Issues are led by Guest Editors, who are experts on the topic and all Special Issue submissions follow MDPI's standard editorial process. The journal’s Editor-in-Chief and/or designated Editorial Board Member will oversee Guest Editor appointments and Special Issue proposals, checking their content for relevance and ensuring the suitability of the material for the journal. The papers published in a Special Issue will be collected and displayed on a dedicated page of the journal’s website. Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies and Guest Editor responsibilities can be found here. For any inquiries related to a Special Issue, please contact the Editorial Office.

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IFToMM for Sustainable Development Goals: Contributions from I4SDG 2025 Conference

edited by

Giuseppe Carbone

and

Luigi Tagliavini

submission deadline 30 Sep 2026 | 6 articles | Viewed by 7186 | Submission Open

Keywords: biomechanical engineering; linkages and mechanical control; sustainable energy systems; robotics and mechatronics; green tribology; humanitarian engineering and appropriate technologies; socio-technical systems for sustainable and inclusive development; education in MMS and SDGs; computational kinematics; gearing and transmissions; vibrations and reliability; rotordynamics and multibody dynamics; micromachines; engines and powertrains; history and terminology of MMS

Advanced Control and Optimization for Robotic Systems

edited by

Allahyar Montazeri

and Khoshnam Shojaei

submission deadline 30 Sep 2026 | 4 articles | Viewed by 6676 | Submission Open

Keywords: nonlinear, adaptive, and robust control for robotics; learning-based and reinforcement learning control; optimization-based control; MPC; convex/non-convex optimization; distributed optimization; cooperative control; multi-robot systems; sensor-based control; sustainable control; safe and reliable control; motion planning; trajectory generation; data-driven control; model-based control

(This special issue belongs to the Section Sensors and Control in Robotics)

Artificial Vision Systems for Robotics

edited by

Konstantinos Tsintotas

Ioannis Kostavelis

and

Kyriakos Tsiakmakis

submission deadline 30 Sep 2026 | 2 articles | Viewed by 2876 | Submission Open

Keywords: visual perception; semantic scene understanding; object detection; vision-guided manipulation; robotic grasping; visual servoing; motion estimation; closed-loop control; three-dimensional vision; SLAM (Simultaneous Localization and Mapping); deep learning and AI for robotic vision; sensor fusion; vision-enabled robotic applications

(This special issue belongs to the Section Sensors and Control in Robotics)

State of the Art in Mobile Robot Localization

edited by José Miguel Guerrero Hernández, Francisco Martin-Rico and Rodrigo Pérez-Rodríguez

submission deadline 30 Sep 2026 | 2 articles | Viewed by 2875 | Submission Open

Keywords: mobile robot localization and navigation; simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM); multi-sensor fusion (LiDAR, vision, GNSS, IMU, and UWB); probabilistic state estimation and Bayesian filtering; deep learning, AI-driven, and hybrid localization methods; robust localization in dynamic and uncertain environments; cooperative and multi-robot localization strategies; real-time localization and control for autonomous systems; benchmarking, datasets, and reproducible research in localization; applications in autonomous ground vehicles, UAVs, and service robots; semantic localization and navigation

(This special issue belongs to the Section Sensors and Control in Robotics)

Adaptive and Nonlinear Control of Robotics, 2nd Edition

edited by

Aman Behal

submission deadline 30 Sep 2026 | Viewed by 312 | Submission Open

Keywords: nonlinear control; direct adaptive control; indirect adaptive control; Lyapunov-based control; output feedback control; partial-state feedback control; full-state feedback control; learning-based control

(This special issue belongs to the Section Sensors and Control in Robotics)

Development of Biomedical Robotics, 2nd Edition

edited by

Bernardo Innocenti

submission deadline 30 Sep 2026 | Viewed by 295 | Submission Open

Keywords: innovative surgical robots; rehabilitation robotics; diagnostic and therapeutic robots; robotic prosthetics and orthotics; integration of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) with biomedical robotics; ethical and regulatory considerations of biomedical robots

(This special issue belongs to the Section Neurorobotics)

Motion Planning for Autonomous and Intelligent Mobile Robots in Unstructured Environments

edited by Yugang Liu

submission deadline 31 Oct 2026 | 2 articles | Viewed by 3640 | Submission Open

Keywords: motion-planning; path planning; UGVs; obstacle avoidance; mobile robots; collision avoidance; motion control of UGVs and UAVs; mission planning

(This special issue belongs to the Section Aerospace Robotics and Autonomous Systems)

Embodied AI for Soft and Bio-Inspired Robotics

edited by

Yanhong Peng

and

Zhen Tian

submission deadline 31 Oct 2026 | 1 articles | Viewed by 1441 | Submission Open

Keywords: soft robotics; bio-inspired robotics; morphological computation; embodied cognition; autonomous robots; Intelligent planning; learning-based system; multi-agent systems; human–robot interaction; robotics applications

(This special issue belongs to the Section Soft Robotics)

Nature-Inspired Intelligent Robotics: Soft Actuators, Magnetic Control, and AI for Biomedical Innovation

edited by Mohammad Hasan Dad Ansari and

Ajay Vikram Singh

submission deadline 31 Oct 2026 | 1 articles | Viewed by 1316 | Submission Open

Keywords: bioinspiration; soft robotics; magnetic technologies; artificial intelligence; biomedical applications; physical intelligence; smart materials; adaptive systems; magnetic actuation; intelligent materials; responsive systems; biohybrid robots

(This special issue belongs to the Section Medical Robotics and Service Robotics)

Selected Papers from MEDER 2026: Advances in Mechanism Design for Robotics

edited by

Rogério Sales Gonçalves

and

Matteo Russo

submission deadline 31 Oct 2026 | Viewed by 796 | Submission Open

Keywords: mechanism design; education and history of mms; theoretical and computational kinematics; experimental mechanics; mechanics of robots; control issues of mechanical systems; machine intelligence; innovative mechanisms and applications; linkages and manipulators; micro-mechanisms; dynamics of machinery and multi-body systems; smart devices

Applications of Neural Networks in Robot Control, 2nd Edition

edited by

Luca Patanè

and

Paolo Arena

submission deadline 31 Oct 2026 | Viewed by 367 | Submission Open

Keywords: neural control; spiking neural networks; bio-inspired brain models; neuromorphic systems; learning in bio-inspired robots; sensory–motor coordination; soft robotics; legged robotics.

(This special issue belongs to the Section AI in Robotics)

SLAM and Adaptive Navigation for Robotics

edited by

Jinjin Yan

and Minzhou Luo

submission deadline 30 Nov 2026 | 5 articles | Viewed by 7252 | Submission Open

Keywords: SLAM; adaptive navigation; multi-robot systems; swarm robotics; UAVs; USVs; UUVs; localization; path planning; swarm intelligence; control

(This special issue belongs to the Section Sensors and Control in Robotics)

Integrating Robotics into High-Accuracy Industrial Operations, 2nd Edition

edited by

Andrius Dzedzickis

and

Xinjun Liu

submission deadline 30 Nov 2026 | 3 articles | Viewed by 3257 | Submission Open

Keywords: precision engineering; industrial robots; industrial automation; high-accuracy robotic applications; human–robot interaction; high-accuracy robotic machining; robotic quality control; robots positioning accuracy and repeatability; artificial intelligence in industrial robotics; sensors in robotic systems

(This special issue belongs to the Section Industrial Robots and Automation)

Legged Robots into the Real World, 3rd Edition

edited by

Chengxu Zhou

submission deadline 30 Nov 2026 | 1 articles | Viewed by 1655 | Submission Open

Keywords: legged robots; legged locomotion; humanoids and animaloids; whole-body motion planning and control; machine learning for robot control; mobile manipulation; SLAM; telerobotics and teleoperation; physical human–robot interaction

(This special issue belongs to the Section Humanoid and Human Robotics)

From Research to Healthcare: Translational Advances in Robotic Rehabilitation, Assistance, and Prosthetics

edited by Chiara Livolsi,

Marcello Valori

and

Matteo Malosio

submission deadline 30 Nov 2026 | 1 articles | Viewed by 1137 | Submission Open

Keywords: rehabilitation robotics; robotic prostheses; wearable robots; exoskeletons; gait assistance; assistive robots; physical and cognitive rehabilitation technology; human–robot interaction; tele-rehabilitation robots; AI-driven rehabilitation

(This special issue belongs to the Section Medical Robotics and Service Robotics)

The Future of Mobility: Exploring Wheeled–Legged Robot Systems

edited by

Songyan Xin

and

Guiyang Xin

submission deadline 30 Nov 2026 | Viewed by 800 | Submission Open

Keywords: wheeled–legged robots; dynamic locomotion; hybrid mobility systems; motion planning and control; whole-body control; terrain adaptation; perception-based locomotion; trajectory optimization; learning-based control; real-world deployment

Foundation Models Verification in Autonomous Driving Systems

edited by Shahpour Alirezaee

submission deadline 30 Nov 2026 | Viewed by 530 | Submission Open

Keywords: application of Large Language Models (LLMs), Visual Language Models (VLMs), and Visual Language Action (VLAs) models in various aspects of autonomous vehicle; LLMs in user interaction and command recognition; VLMs in conjunction with textual inputs, enhancing situational awareness; VLAs in dynamic environments; verification frameworks of autonomous driving systems powered by these foundation models; case studies involving real-world applications; evaluation metrics and benchmarks for assessing the performance of foundation models in diverse driving scenarios

(This special issue belongs to the Section AI in Robotics)

Towards an Intelligent Surgical Partner—Robotics-Centered Context-Aware Surgical Systems

edited by

Abhilash Pandya

and

Ken Masamune

submission deadline 30 Nov 2026 | Viewed by 420 | Submission Open

Keywords: context-aware surgical robotics; human–robot collaboration in surgery; voice-controlled medical robots; real-time surgical scene analysis; cognitive load detection in surgeons

(This special issue belongs to the Section Medical Robotics and Service Robotics)

Selected Papers from EUCOMES 2026: Advances in Mechanism Design for Robotics

edited by

Jarosław Szrek

and

Marco Ceccarelli

submission deadline 30 Nov 2026 | Viewed by 395 | Submission Open

Keywords: EUCOMES 2026; robotics; IFToMM; mechanisms; machine science; best paper; conference papers

(This special issue belongs to the Section Intelligent Robots and Mechatronics)

Perception and AI for Field Robotics

edited by

Cédric Pradalier

and

Tito Arevalo

submission deadline 31 Dec 2026 | 3 articles | Viewed by 7844 | Submission Open

Keywords: field robotics; multi-sensor fusion; object detection; localization and mapping; AI-based decision-making and planning

(This special issue belongs to the Section Agricultural and Field Robotics)

Human-Centered Robotics: The Transition to Industry 5.0

edited by

Swaminath Venkateswaran

submission deadline 31 Dec 2026 | 2 articles | Viewed by 5974 | Submission Open

Keywords: human-robot interaction; intelligent systems; Industry 4.0; Industry 5.0

(This special issue belongs to the Section Humanoid and Human Robotics)

AI for Robotic Exoskeletons and Prostheses, 2nd Edition

edited by

Claudio Loconsole

submission deadline 31 Dec 2026 | 1 articles | Viewed by 2217 | Submission Open

Keywords: biomedical sensors; computer vision; gesture detection; human–robot interaction (HRI); image processing; machine learning techniques; neurodegeneration; neurological diseases; NUI (natural user interface); object tracking; reinforcement learning; robotic exoskeleton; robotic prostheses; smart wearable/rehabilitation technologies and robotics

(This special issue belongs to the Section Neurorobotics)

UAV Systems and Swarm Robotics: 2nd Edition

edited by Gerardo Ramon Flores Colunga,

Juan-Pablo Ramirez-Paredes

and

Hector M. Becerra

submission deadline 31 Dec 2026 | 1 articles | Viewed by 1107 | Submission Open

Keywords: robot navigation in unknown environments; perception and mapping using UAVs or multiple robots; exploration with UAVs or with multiple robots; advanced control of UAVs; UAV systems applications; distributed control; formation control; modeling and control of flying multibody robots; control of underactuated robotic systems; vision-based control of robotic systems

(This special issue belongs to the Section Aerospace Robotics and Autonomous Systems)

Intelligent Perception and Control for Autonomous Mobile Systems

edited by

Luigi Fortuna

and

Antonino Sferlazza

submission deadline 31 Jan 2027 | Viewed by 477 | Submission Open

Keywords: autonomous mobile systems; multimodal robot perception; path planning and tracking; navigation and localization; distributed and nonlinear control; artificial intelligence

(This special issue belongs to the Section Sensors and Control in Robotics)

Flexible and Continuum Robots for Minimally Invasive Surgery: Design, Sensing, Intelligent Control, and Clinical Translation

edited by

Majid Roshanfar

submission deadline 31 Jan 2027 | Viewed by 161 | Submission Open

Keywords: flexible surgical robots; continuum robots; soft robots; minimally invasive surgery; AI-assisted surgical robotics; data-driven modeling and control; learning-based control; shared control and autonomy; digital twins; sim-to-real transfer; foundation models for surgical robotics; fiber Bragg grating sensing; sensor fusion; human-robot interaction; clinical translation

(This special issue belongs to the Section Medical Robotics and Service Robotics)

Dynamic Modeling and Model-Based Control of Soft Robots

edited by

Hamed Rahimi Nohooji

submission deadline 28 Feb 2027 | 4 articles | Viewed by 12975 | Submission Open

Keywords: soft robotics; dynamic modeling; Cosserat rods; PCC models; strain-based methods; model reduction; actuator dynamics; Lyapunov control; passivity-based control; safe control; hybrid soft–rigid systems

(This special issue belongs to the Section Soft Robotics)

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