Energy-Efficient Actuation and Intelligent Assistance for Mobile Work Machines

Dear Colleagues,

Mobile working machines are undergoing a profound transformation driven by the global megatrend of digitalization, automation, AI and sustainability requirements, with the increasing demand for higher efficiency, safety and autonomy. In both academia and industry, growing attention is being devoted to intelligent assistance systems, safety and security concepts, process data management and machine networking. At the same time, advances in electrification, hybridization and energy-efficient drive technologies are reshaping the design and operation of modern mobile machinery. These developments make mobile working machines a highly relevant and timely research field with strong scientific, technological and industrial impact.

At the core of these developments are energy-efficient actuation systems and intelligent assistance technologies, which together enable high power density, precise motion control and efficient as well as safe operation under demanding conditions. Electro-hydraulic, electric and hybrid actuation systems provide the physical foundation for high-performance mobile machinery. In addition, intelligent assistance systems, such as operator support, semi-autonomous control and human–machine interaction concepts, enhance operational safety, efficiency and usability. The integration of advanced control strategies with assistance functions further enables adaptive, robust and context-aware operation of mobile working machines in complex and uncertain environments.

This Special Issue aims to, but is not limited to, present and disseminate the most recent advances in energy-efficient actuation and intelligent assistance technologies for mobile working machines. It is intended to publish extended and substantially enhanced contributions from selected high-quality papers presented at two conferences organized by KIT in Karlsruhe Germany, in 2027: the 9th MOBILE MACHINES (23 February 2027) and the 11th Hybrid and Energy-Efficient Drives for Mobile Working Machines (24 February 2027). These events highlight current research and development activities and provide a platform for direct exchange between researchers and practitioners. The Special Issue will therefore serve as a curated collection of cutting-edge contributions reflecting current trends and future perspectives in actuation technologies and intelligent machine systems.

Topics of Interest

We consider contributions addressing, but not limited to, the following topics:

• Energy-efficient actuator design (hydraulic, electric and hybrid)
• Electro-hydraulic systems and digital hydraulics
• Hybrid and electrified actuation and drive systems
• Advanced control strategies for actuation systems (adaptive, robust and optimal control)
• Learning-based control and reinforcement learning for actuators
• Intelligent assistance systems for actuator operation and machine control
• Human–machine interaction and operator support systems in mobile machines
• Modeling, simulation and experimental validation of actuation systems
• Energy efficiency, power management and loss analysis in mobile machines
• Traction drives and work drives for mobile machinery
• Integration of actuation systems with perception, data management and machine networking
• Fault detection, diagnostics and safety of actuation systems

Prof. Dr. Marcus Geimer
Dr. Bobo Helian
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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