Dear Colleagues,

There has been an increasing interest in using actuators and robots in industry, for instance, for handling parts and running high-precision machining. Advanced simulative tools also enable full process reliable simulation following an experimental calibration. Advanced manufacturing strategies, such as additive manufacturing, make it possible to reduce weight and address eco-sustainability purposes. Regarding the latter point, the proper selection of the energy source, as well as friction reduction, are likely to have a significant effect on the environment. Actuators and robots may also be used for medical purposes, and miniaturization may be highly appreciated in this case.

The 20th International Conference on Experimental Mechanics, ICEM20 (to be held in Porto, Portugal, from 2nd to 7th July 2023 under the coordination of the European Society for Experimental Mechanics, EURASEM) will be the opportunity for gathering several engineers, scientists, and scholars who are working on these research topics. This Special Issue is open (but not limited to) papers presented in the aforementioned conference.

The main topics include, but are not limited to:

• Industrial engineering: actuators and robots in manufacturing engineering (for part handling and preparation, high-precision machining and finishing, assembly, and repair purposes), cost assessments, sensor integration, operating system software, process digital twins, eco-sustainability issues, risk assessment, and product reliability.
• Testing and diagnostics: numerical simulations, simulative models, tests on actuators in a lab or industrial venues, control strategies, data acquisition and achievements, comparison between numerical and experimental results, and calibration of models.
• Mechanical design and prototyping: mechanical design of actuators, product development, additive manufacturing, and prototyping in developing novel actuators, and actuators optimized for eco-sustainability purposes.
• Fatigue and fracture: fatigue loads affecting actuators or robots: numerical assessments, experimental testing, calibration and validation of models, structural diagnostics, redesign, and optimization.
• Energy and thermo-fluid systems: design of advanced energy systems, development of different types of actuators (e.g., electromechanical actuators, fluid mechanical actuators, pneumatic actuators, hydraulic actuators, and smart actuators), actuator redesign for eco-sustainability purposes, and environmental impact arising from different energy sources.
• Tribology and surface engineering: lubrication and the effect of friction on actuator performance. Use of coatings to reduce friction, minimum quantity lubrication (MQL) strategies to reduce lubricant use, actuators with self-lubricated surfaces, and impacts on the environment.
• Biomechanics: design of actuators and robotic devices for medical applications, biomaterials and biocompatibility, design of prostheses, actuators for testing devices for sport or rehabilitation, miniaturized actuators, and biomechanical devices.

Dr. Giorgio Olmi
Prof. Dr. Dario Croccolo
Dr. Mattia Mele
Guest Editors

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• industrial applications
• actuators for manufacturing
• testing and control
• actuator design
• energy source for actuators
• actuators in biomechanics
• eco-sustainability