Advancements in Motion Planning and Control for Autonomous Vehicles

Dear Colleagues,

Autonomous vehicles are increasingly tasked with performing complex operations in dynamic and uncertain environments. The effective functioning of these systems relies on the seamless integration of motion planning and control modules, which enable safe, efficient, and reliable autonomous behavior. When optimally designed, these modules account for a diverse range of real-world variables and can be fine-tuned to achieve performance goals, such as energy efficiency, reduced operational time, user comfort, and minimization of wear on system components.

This Special Issue invites high-quality contributions that explore cutting-edge advancements in the design, implementation, and evaluation of motion planning and control methodologies. We welcome innovative approaches that address data-driven methods, which partially or entirely replace conventional autonomous software pipelines, as well as control strategies for systems within autonomous vehicles that cooperate with motion planning and control. Submissions presenting promising methodologies, supported by robust experimental validation or demonstrating potential for near-term real-world applications, will be given particular consideration.

Topics of particular interest include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Path, trajectory, and motion planning;
• Path, trajectory, and motion control;
• Simulation and validation of motion planning and control;
• Real-world applications of motion planning and control;
• End-to-end learning for autonomous vehicles;
• Applications of large language models in autonomous vehicles;
• Integrated planning and control frameworks;
• Cooperative motion planning and control;
• Energy management in autonomous vehicles;
• Reviews of motion planning and control;
• Reviews of control strategies applied to autonomous vehicles.

Dr. Tantan Zhang
Dr. Bai Li
Dr. Oscar Vento
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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