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Actuators
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Actuator Technologies and Control: Materials, Devices and Applications
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Actuator Technologies and Control: Materials, Devices and Applications

A special issue of Actuators (ISSN 2076-0825).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 November 2025 | Viewed by 2736

Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Paolo Mercorelli

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Institute of Product and Process Innovation, Leuphana, University of Lueneburg, 21335 Lueneburg, Germany
Interests: control systems; mechatronics; actuators; engines control; signal processing; wavelets; Kalman filter; optimal energy control
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

We plan to publish a Special Issue in the journal Actuators to provide a broad overview of the latest achievements of actuator technologies, control and their application in many fields of industry. Papers could be original research papers, as well as review papers, focused on the current state of the art in one of the areas covered by the journal’s aims and scopes. The main topics of this Special Issue include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • New actuator materials;
  • Innovative actuator designs and device concepts;
  • Miniaturized and micro-actuators;
  • Assessment and precision measurements;
  • Actuators for drive/control technologies;
  • Actuators for manufacturing;
  • Actuators for aircrafts and on- and off-road vehicles/machines;
  • Actuators for robotics and other autonomous applications;
  • Actuators for biomedical applications;
  • Emerging control strategies for actuators.

This Special Issue will also include high-quality papers presented during the 2nd International Electronic Conference on Actuator Technology (IECAT 2024, https://sciforum.net/event/IECAT2024), sponsored by the MDPI open access journal Actuators. The primary aim of IECAT is to promote scientific and technological exchanges among researchers and engineers around the world. Following the end of the conference, selected papers (extended from conference proceedings) will be published in this Special Issue.

Prof. Dr. Paolo Mercorelli
Guest Editor

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. Actuators 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.

Keywords

  • materials
  • actuator design
  • efficiency
  • dynamics
  • energy consumption
  • applications

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  • Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
  • Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
  • Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
  • External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
  • Reprint: MDPI Books provides the opportunity to republish successful Special Issues in book format, both online and in print.

Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

16 pages, 3276 KiB  
Article
Actuation and Control of Railcar-Mounted Sensor Systems
by Caroline Craig and Mehdi Ahmadian
Actuators 2025, 14(6), 289; https://doi.org/10.3390/act14060289 - 13 Jun 2025
Viewed by 133
Abstract
This study provides the design, analysis, and prototype fabrication of a remotely controlled actuation system for railcar-mounted sensors. Frequent railway inspections are essential for detecting and preventing major defects that could lead to train derailments or accidents. Integrating supplemental automated inspection systems into [...] Read more.
This study provides the design, analysis, and prototype fabrication of a remotely controlled actuation system for railcar-mounted sensors. Frequent railway inspections are essential for detecting and preventing major defects that could lead to train derailments or accidents. Integrating supplemental automated inspection systems into existing trains can aid inspection crews without interfering with standard railway operations. However, many sensors and cameras require protection during transit, motivating the need for a deployable mounting assembly. The feasibility of a deployable sensor system was successfully assessed by creating and demonstrating a functional prototype mounting assembly that can be used with future automated inspection systems. Typical loads and accelerations experienced by a train were used to design a lead screw and stepper motor system capable of working within desired tolerances. Optimized inputs controlling this motion with an Arduino Uno were found through the iterative testing of digital signals and direct port manipulation. Further research testing in a field-like environment is suggested. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Actuator Technologies and Control: Materials, Devices and Applications)
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18 pages, 3385 KiB  
Article
Optimal Realtime Toolpath Planning for Industrial Robots with Sparse Sensing
by Enkhsaikhan Boldsaikhan and Cole Birney
Actuators 2025, 14(6), 279; https://doi.org/10.3390/act14060279 - 7 Jun 2025
Viewed by 526
Abstract
Non-contact surface processing does not involve direct contact between the tool and a worksurface. An industrial robot mostly uses preplanned toolpaths to perform non-contact surface processing. A preplanned toolpath may work well in repetitive conditions but may easily become inaccurate and unsafe if [...] Read more.
Non-contact surface processing does not involve direct contact between the tool and a worksurface. An industrial robot mostly uses preplanned toolpaths to perform non-contact surface processing. A preplanned toolpath may work well in repetitive conditions but may easily become inaccurate and unsafe if the tool needs to follow unknown worksurface variations. Many industrial processes, e.g., painting, coating, and sandblasting, typically involve worksurfaces with unknown variations. This study proposes an optimal toolpath planning method for an industrial robot equipped with end-of-arm distance sensors to automatically guide its tool motion along unknown worksurface variations. The distance sensors facilitate sparse sensing to acquire sparse data that is just enough for the quick and adequate perception of unknown worksurfaces by requiring fewer measurements and less computing. Optimization facilitates the optimality of multi-objective toolpath planning with a customizable value function, where the multiple objectives comprise adapting to unknown worksurface variations and traveling between known tool targets. To validate the proposed toolpath planning method, this study conducts a simulation experiment on a virtual robot with four end-of-arm distance sensors and a workpiece with unknown surface variations. The experimental results indicate that the proposed method is accurate and near-optimal even in the presence of sensor noises. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Actuator Technologies and Control: Materials, Devices and Applications)
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15 pages, 8248 KiB  
Article
A Lightweight, Simple-Structure, Low-Cost and Compliant Twisted String Actuator Featuring Continuously Variable Transmission
by Chanchan Xu, Tong Liu, Shuai Dong, Yucheng Wang and Xiaojie Wang
Actuators 2024, 13(12), 477; https://doi.org/10.3390/act13120477 - 25 Nov 2024
Viewed by 1435
Abstract
Twisted string actuators, which are an emerging artificial muscle, efficiently convert rotary motor motion into linear load movement, with advantages like high transmission ratio, compliance, simple structure, and long-distance power transmission. However, the limited range of transmission ratio adjustment remains a challenge. Thus, [...] Read more.
Twisted string actuators, which are an emerging artificial muscle, efficiently convert rotary motor motion into linear load movement, with advantages like high transmission ratio, compliance, simple structure, and long-distance power transmission. However, the limited range of transmission ratio adjustment remains a challenge. Thus, this paper introduces a novel twisted string actuator design that automatically and continuously adjusts its transmission ratio in response to external loads. Utilizing lightweight hyperelastic slender rods, the twisted string actuator with continuously variable transmission achieves a simple, compact, and cost-effective design. By manipulating the distance between two twisted strings through rod deformation, the transmission ratio continuously adapts to varying load conditions. Mathematical models of the twisted string actuator with continuously variable transmission are derived and experimentally validated, demonstrating a 2.1-fold transmission ratio variation from 0.1 kg to 1.5 kg loads. Application in an anthropomorphic robot finger showcases a 6.2-fold transmission ratio change between unloaded and loaded states. Our twisted string actuator with continuously variable transmission offers unparalleled advantages in weight, cost, simplicity, compliance, and continuous transmission ratio adjustability, making it highly suitable for robotic systems. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Actuator Technologies and Control: Materials, Devices and Applications)
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