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Applied Sciences
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Recent Advances in Mechatronic and Robotic Systems
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Recent Advances in Mechatronic and Robotic Systems

A special issue of Applied Sciences (ISSN 2076-3417). This special issue belongs to the section "Robotics and Automation".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 July 2025 | Viewed by 24137

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Ellips Masehian

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Industrial and Manufacturing Department, College of Engineering, California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, CA 91768, USA
Interests: motion planning; combinatorial optimization; robotics and automation; industrial and manufacturing engineering
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

As robotic and mechatronic systems evolve and become more sophisticated, the expectations of them to accomplish high-level tasks increase gradually. Robots, as incarnations of intelligent agents, have been widely applied in manufacturing, as well as service industries, and continue their increasing impact on our modern life. The ability of a robot to plan its own motions and actions, make timely and logical decisions, and cope with uncertainties in sensing, localization, and prediction is pivotal to its full autonomy. Such capabilities, once a dream, can now be accomplished through intelligent methods such as neural networks, advanced searching and planning methods, Fuzzy control, and other soft computing approaches. The applications of artificial intelligence (AI) have steadily expanded in our life, from automated phone ‎callers to autonomous self-driving vehicles and much more. AI has forced many traditional jobs into ‎obsolescence and will continue to overwhelm human life.

This Special Issue aims to present a collection of recent advancements in intelligent robotics and mechatronics in general, and the following topics in particular:

  • Applications of AI in planning, control, and operating of robots (e.g., manipulators, wheeled and legged mobile robots, parallel robots, etc.);
  • Implementing machine learning methods in robotic and mechatronic systems;
  • Advanced methods in robot motion planning, especially in real-time and under uncertainty;
  • Sensing and data processing for intelligent and informed decision-making;
  • Intelligent human–robot interaction and haptics;
  • Multi-robot coordination and cooperation;
  • Internet of Things and networks of intelligent hard and soft agents;
  • Industry 4.0 and applications.

Manuscripts on other related topics are also encouraged to be submitted.

Dr. Ellips Masehian
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. Applied Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly 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

  • robot motion planning
  • artificial intelligence
  • machine learning
  • mechatronics
  • Industry 4.0
  • intelligent manufacturing

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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18 pages, 7165 KiB  
Article
Experience Embedding a Compact eNose in an Indoor Mobile Delivery Robot for the Early Detection of Gas Leaks
by Ricard Bitriá, Jordi Palacín, Elena Rubies and Eduard Clotet
Appl. Sci. 2025, 15(7), 3430; https://doi.org/10.3390/app15073430 - 21 Mar 2025
Viewed by 217
Abstract
Indoor transport robots are currently a key robotics application in large industrial assembly lines, and a similar future deployment as indoor mobile delivery robots in large horizontal or vertical buildings can be expected. This deployment can be accelerated if the transport robot is [...] Read more.
Indoor transport robots are currently a key robotics application in large industrial assembly lines, and a similar future deployment as indoor mobile delivery robots in large horizontal or vertical buildings can be expected. This deployment can be accelerated if the transport robot is also capable of performing other valuable tasks within buildings. In this direction, this paper presents the first results obtained by embedding a compact, low-power electronic nose (also known as an eNose) in an indoor mobile delivery robot. The objective of this implementation is the evaluation of a delivery robot as an early detector of gas leaks. The general advantage of using the gas sensing capabilities of an eNose is that it can be simultaneously trained to detect a single specific gas or a complex odor composed of various volatile chemical compounds. Experimental application results obtained in real operation conditions have confirmed that a mobile delivery robot embedded with a compact eNose can detect ethanol leaks while making a package delivery inside a building. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances in Mechatronic and Robotic Systems)
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37 pages, 2543 KiB  
Article
Gain-Scheduled Disturbance Observer-Based Saturated Controllers for Non-Linear First-Order System
by Mikulas Huba, Pavol Bistak and Damir Vrancic
Appl. Sci. 2025, 15(5), 2812; https://doi.org/10.3390/app15052812 - 5 Mar 2025
Viewed by 524
Abstract
Almost a century ago, the first industrial controllers were introduced to the market, labeled as automatic reset and later generalized to hyper-reset or pre-act. Recently, it has been shown that such control solutions can be characterized as model-based solutions with a simplified disturbance [...] Read more.
Almost a century ago, the first industrial controllers were introduced to the market, labeled as automatic reset and later generalized to hyper-reset or pre-act. Recently, it has been shown that such control solutions can be characterized as model-based solutions with a simplified disturbance observer developed for an integrating model. The aforementioned controllers, albeit under the name of proportional–integral–derivative (PID) controllers, are still the most commonly used control solutions in practice. With the help of a new interpretation, however, it can be shown that PID controllers are also very well suited for controlling processes with complex non-linear dynamics. This paper investigates the design and feasibility of a family of gain-scheduling controllers for saturated non-linear systems described by a first-order differential equation. It is shown that the process can be linearized either by using locally applicable linear models or by using more narrowly applicable ultralocal models. By combining both approaches, an innovative linearization method around the steady states of the process input and output is proposed. This novel approach emphasizes that the entire process input signal has to be constructed by adding the control increment calculated by the linearization to the value of the considered operating point. Thus, it avoids the uncertainties of those methods, which are based on achieving the actual controller output by integrating the calculated differential values. Another advantage of model-based design is that the saturation of the control signal is included in the design from the outset. Therefore, the undesired integration (windup), which is typical for controllers with explicit integral action, is prevented. The proposed design is illustrated using the control of a liquid tank with variable cross-section as a function of the liquid level. The model-based approach is also used in the evaluation of the transients, where homogeneous responses were obtained over the whole range of process output values. Responses were more homogeneous when simple ultralocal models were used, regardless of controller saturation constraints. Finally, all important innovative aspects of the design are highlighted by a comparison with gain-scheduled PI controller design based on velocity implementation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances in Mechatronic and Robotic Systems)
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21 pages, 5281 KiB  
Article
Experimental Investigation of Free-Motion Task Implementation on a Serial Metamorphic Manipulator
by Nikolaos Stravopodis and Vassilis Moulianitis
Appl. Sci. 2024, 14(23), 11265; https://doi.org/10.3390/app142311265 - 3 Dec 2024
Viewed by 644
Abstract
This paper presents an experimental investigation into the implementation of free-motion tasks on a serial metamorphic manipulator (SMM). Utilizing a previously established task-based optimization methodology, the dynamic performance of the SMM is evaluated through a combination of theoretical performance metrics and experimental data. [...] Read more.
This paper presents an experimental investigation into the implementation of free-motion tasks on a serial metamorphic manipulator (SMM). Utilizing a previously established task-based optimization methodology, the dynamic performance of the SMM is evaluated through a combination of theoretical performance metrics and experimental data. The study aims to validate the SMM’s ability to achieve optimized performance through structural reconfiguration. Theoretical models are compared against real-world free-motion task data, demonstrating strong correlations between analytical calculations and experimental outcomes. The discussion focuses on three key areas: the efficiency of joint controllers, end-effector acceleration capabilities, and joint controller performance. Results indicate that an optimized anatomy can achieve more than 40% reduction in produced torques during task execution and a 35% improvement in the torque-to-velocity ratio. While the simple controller implemented in the robot prototype exhibits adequate performance, notable limitations are observed in task segments with lower dynamic performance, particularly in terms of positional accuracy and energy efficiency. During XY-plane task execution, the Z-axis position error deviates by 1 to 2 cm in areas of lower dynamic performance. These findings provide key insights and establish a robust foundation for advancing SMM capabilities in practical applications, with future work focusing on addressing the identified limitations. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances in Mechatronic and Robotic Systems)
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Review

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37 pages, 2260 KiB  
Review
Robots in Inspection and Monitoring of Buildings and Infrastructure: A Systematic Review
by Srijeet Halder and Kereshmeh Afsari
Appl. Sci. 2023, 13(4), 2304; https://doi.org/10.3390/app13042304 - 10 Feb 2023
Cited by 86 | Viewed by 21593
Abstract
Regular inspection and monitoring of buildings and infrastructure, that is collectively called the built environment in this paper, is critical. The built environment includes commercial and residential buildings, roads, bridges, tunnels, and pipelines. Automation and robotics can aid in reducing errors and increasing [...] Read more.
Regular inspection and monitoring of buildings and infrastructure, that is collectively called the built environment in this paper, is critical. The built environment includes commercial and residential buildings, roads, bridges, tunnels, and pipelines. Automation and robotics can aid in reducing errors and increasing the efficiency of inspection tasks. As a result, robotic inspection and monitoring of the built environment has become a significant research topic in recent years. This review paper presents an in-depth qualitative content analysis of 269 papers on the use of robots for the inspection and monitoring of buildings and infrastructure. The review found nine different types of robotic systems, with unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) being the most common, followed by unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs). The study also found five different applications of robots in inspection and monitoring, namely, maintenance inspection, construction quality inspection, construction progress monitoring, as-built modeling, and safety inspection. Common research areas investigated by researchers include autonomous navigation, knowledge extraction, motion control systems, sensing, multi-robot collaboration, safety implications, and data transmission. The findings of this study provide insight into the recent research and developments in the field of robotic inspection and monitoring of the built environment and will benefit researchers, and construction and facility managers, in developing and implementing new robotic solutions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances in Mechatronic and Robotic Systems)
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