Advances in Applied Mechatronics, Volume II

A special issue of Machines (ISSN 2075-1702). This special issue belongs to the section "Robotics, Mechatronics and Intelligent Machines".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 August 2024 | Viewed by 596

Special Issue Editors


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School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics, Oxford Brookes University, Wheatley Campus, Wheatley, Oxford OX33 1HX, UK
Interests: mechatronics; control & automation; artificial intelligence
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Following the success of our previous Special Issue, “Advances in Applied Mechatronics” (https://www.mdpi.com/journal/machines/special_issues/applied_mechatronics), we are pleased to announce the next in the series, entitled “Advances in Applied Mechatronics, Volume II”. 

The term "mechatronics" was coined in 1969 by senior Japanese engineer Tetsura Mori, and the field has indeed been said to have grown out of robotics. Early on, robot arms were uncoordinated and had no sensory feedback, but as advances have been made in programming, sensor technology, and controls, the robotic movements have become more coordinated. Mechatronics is the combination of mechanical, electrical and electronic features, control, automation and computer engineering. The main research task of mechatronics is the development and control of advanced hybrid systems covering all these fields and is supported by interdisciplinary studies. Several new technologies have emerged that have allowed designers to revolutionize their approach. Some ideas were impossible to implement a decade ago; however, with the advent of these technologies, these ideas have been revised, and mechatronic design methods have begun to be considered. As mechatronic systems become more complex, the challenges associated with successfully executing them also become more demanding.

The purpose of this Special Issue, in general, is to help us better understand how mechatronics will impact the practice and research of developing advanced techniques to model, control and optimize complex systems. This Special Issue presents the current state of advances in mechatronics and related technologies, including topics such as automatic control, robotics, agent-based systems, smart manufacturing and Industry 4.0. The selected topics provide an overview of the state of the art and present new research results and prospects of the future development in the interdisciplinary field of mechatronic systems. This Special Issue will provide up-to-date and useful knowledge for researchers and engineers involved in mechatronics and related fields.

Within the above dimensions, this Special Issue welcomes high-quality original research and review articles that cover a broad range of topics related to theoretical and applied aspects of modern mechatronics.

Potential topics include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • Advanced smart automation technologies in mechatronics;
  • MEMS dynamics and control;
  • Sensor design and data collection approaches;
  • Model-based mechatronic system design;
  • Mechatronics and smart manufacturing systems;
  • Computational intelligence in mechatronic systems;
  • Artificial intelligence in mechatronic systems;
  • Mechanism synthesis, analysis, and design;
  • Modeling, control and optimization of complex mechatronic systems;
  • Novel robotic systems;
  • Intelligent health monitoring and supervisory control of mechatronic systems;
  • Medical mechatronics for healthcare.

Dr. Aydin Azizi
Prof. Dr. Wenjun (Chris) Zhang
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Machines is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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25 pages, 2921 KiB  
Article
Structural Optimization of an Unmanned Ground Vehicle as Part of a Robotic Grazing System Design
by Nikola Korunović, Milan Banić, Vukašin Pavlović and Tamara Nestorović
Machines 2024, 12(5), 323; https://doi.org/10.3390/machines12050323 - 8 May 2024
Viewed by 238
Abstract
Unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs) have gained increased attention in different fields of application; therefore, their optimization requires special attention. Lowering the mass of a UGV is especially important to increase its autonomy, agility, and payload capacity and to reduce dynamic forces. This contribution [...] Read more.
Unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs) have gained increased attention in different fields of application; therefore, their optimization requires special attention. Lowering the mass of a UGV is especially important to increase its autonomy, agility, and payload capacity and to reduce dynamic forces. This contribution deals with optimizing a UGV unit prototype that, when connected with similar units, forms a moving electric fence for animal grazing. Together, these units form a robotic system that is intended to solve the critical problem of lack of human capacity in herding and grazing. This approach employs topology optimization (TO) and finite element analysis (FEA) to lower the mass of a UGV unit and validate the design of its structural components. To our knowledge, no optimization of this type of UGV has been reported in the literature. Here, we present the results of a case study in which a set of four load cases served as a basis for the optimization of the UGV frame. Response surface analysis (RSA) was used to identify the worst load cases, while substructuring was used to allow for more detailed meshing of the frame portion that was subjected to TO. Thereby, we demonstrate that the prototype of the UGV unit can be built using standard parts and that TO and FEA can be efficiently used to optimize the load-carrying structure of such a specific vehicle. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Applied Mechatronics, Volume II)
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