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Control Systems in Mechatronics and Robotics

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 June 2026 | Viewed by 1278

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Instituto Politécnico Nacional-CITEDI, Baja California 22435, Mexico
Interests: nonlinear systems; robotics; underactuated systems; neural networks; complex systems; mechatronics; aerial autonomous systems
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

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Guest Editor
Klipsch School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, New Mexico State University, Las Cruces, NM 88011, USA
Interests: control systems; autonomous systems; computer vision; aerial autonomous systems
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

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Guest Editor
DEPI, TecNM/Instituto Tecnológico de la Laguna, Torreón 27000, Mexico
Interests: aerial autonomous systems; nonlinear control design; wheeled mobile robot control
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Control systems are integral to the development and operation of mechatronic and robotic systems, serving as the backbone that ensures precise and reliable performance across various applications. Mechatronics, a multidisciplinary field that combines mechanical engineering, electronics, computer science, and control engineering, relies heavily on sophisticated control strategies to optimize system functionality. As technology advances, the complexity and demands of mechatronic systems increase, necessitating innovative control solutions that can handle dynamic environments and intricate interactions between components.

In robotics, control systems facilitate the autonomous operation of robots, enabling them to perform tasks ranging from simple assembly to complex interactions in uncertain environments. Effective control algorithms are essential for tasks such as motion planning, path following, and sensor integration, allowing robots to adapt to changes in their surroundings while maintaining accuracy and stability.

The emergence of new technologies, such as artificial intelligence and machine learning, has further transformed the landscape of control systems in mechatronics and robotics. These advancements enable the development of adaptive and intelligent control strategies that can learn from experience and improve over time, paving the way for smarter and more autonomous systems.

Despite significant progress, challenges remain in the design and implementation of control systems, particularly in terms of robustness, real-time performance, and integration with other technologies. This Special Issue aims to explore the latest research and developments in control systems within the context of mechatronics and robotics, addressing both theoretical and practical aspects. By highlighting innovative solutions and emerging trends, we hope to contribute to the ongoing evolution of these fields, fostering collaboration and inspiring future research.

The primary objective of this Special Issue is to gather recent findings on control systems in mechatronics, with a particular focus on both practical and theoretical challenges. We aim to highlight efficient implementations in various applications, as well as innovative designs that demonstrate their benefits through simulations or real-time experiments.

The topics of this Special Issue cover a wide range of important applications, such as:

  • Advanced control algorithms (PID, adaptive control, etc.)
  • Machine learning and AI in control systems
  • Nonlinear control strategies
  • Real-time control applications
  • Control of autonomous systems
  • Networked control systems
  • Modeling
  • Real-time embedded system;
  • Practical challenges in implementation
  • Simulation

Prof. Dr. Javier Moreno-Valenzuela
Dr. Luis Rodolfo Garcia Carrillo
Prof. Dr. Alejandro Enrique Dzul López
Guest Editors

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

  • advanced control algorithms
  • machine learning and AI in control systems
  • nonlinear control strategies
  • real-time control applications
  • control of autonomous systems
  • networked control systems
  • modeling
  • real-time embedded system
  • practical challenges in implementation
  • simulation

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

26 pages, 66652 KB  
Article
Modeling and Analysis of Surface Motion Characteristics for a Dual-Propulsion Amphibious Spherical Robot
by Hongqun Zou, Fengqi Zhang, Meng Wang, You Wang and Guang Li
Appl. Sci. 2025, 15(16), 8998; https://doi.org/10.3390/app15168998 - 14 Aug 2025
Viewed by 483
Abstract
This study introduces an amphibious spherical robot equipped with a dual-propulsion system (ASR-DPS) and investigates its water-surface motion characteristics. Due to its distinctive spherical geometry, the robot exhibits markedly different hydrodynamic behavior compared to conventional vessels. A comparative analysis of the frontal wetted [...] Read more.
This study introduces an amphibious spherical robot equipped with a dual-propulsion system (ASR-DPS) and investigates its water-surface motion characteristics. Due to its distinctive spherical geometry, the robot exhibits markedly different hydrodynamic behavior compared to conventional vessels. A comparative analysis of the frontal wetted area is performed, followed by computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations to assess water-surface performance. The results indicate that the hemispherical bow increases hydrodynamic resistance and generates large-scale vortex structures as a consequence of intensified flow separation. Although the resistance is higher than that of traditional hulls, the robot’s greater draft and dual-propulsion configuration enhance stability and maneuverability during surface operations. To validate real-world performance, standard maneuvering tests, including circle and zig-zag maneuvers, are conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of the propeller-based propulsion system. The robot achieves a maximum surface speed of 1.2 m/s and a zero turning radius, with a peak yaw rate of 0.54 rad/s under differential thrust. Additionally, experiments on the pendulum-based propulsion system demonstrate a maximum speed of 0.239 m/s with significantly lower energy consumption (220.6 Wh at 60% throttle). A four-degree-of-freedom kinematic and dynamic model is formulated to describe the water-surface motion. To address model uncertainties and external disturbances, two control strategies are proposed: one employing model simplification and the other adaptive control. Simulation results confirm that the adaptive sliding mode controller provides precise surge speed tracking and smooth yaw regulation with near-zero steady-state error, exhibiting superior robustness and reduced chattering compared to the baseline controller. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Control Systems in Mechatronics and Robotics)
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19 pages, 1174 KB  
Article
Actuator Fault-Tolerant Control for Mechatronic Systems and Output Regulation with Unknown Reference Signals
by Miguel Amador-Macias, Tonatiuh Hernández-Cortés, Víctor Estrada-Manzo, Jaime González-Sierra and Ricardo Tapia-Herrera
Appl. Sci. 2025, 15(15), 8551; https://doi.org/10.3390/app15158551 - 1 Aug 2025
Viewed by 315
Abstract
Today, mechatronic systems are required to operate reliably and safely. However, actuators can fail, causing the system to malfunction or, in the worst case, resulting in an accident. A clear example of this is the motors of unmanned aerial vehicles. If any of [...] Read more.
Today, mechatronic systems are required to operate reliably and safely. However, actuators can fail, causing the system to malfunction or, in the worst case, resulting in an accident. A clear example of this is the motors of unmanned aerial vehicles. If any of them fail, the vehicle loses control, resulting in a catastrophe and potentially leading to the partial or total loss of the system. Therefore, there is a need to design robust control strategies that allow the system to continue operating even with the loss of one of its actuators. Based on the above, this work presents a controller capable of performing output regulation while tolerating actuator faults in actuated robotic platforms. In contrast to traditional output regulation theory, where a known exosystem provides the reference signal, the proposed approach employs a High-Gain Observer (HGO) to estimate and generate the reference signal from an unknown exosystem. Additionally, an Unknown Input (UI) observer is used to estimate actuator faults, enabling the computation of a fault-tolerant control. The methodology is tested in simulation and real-time experiments on the well-known Furuta pendulum system to illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed approach. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Control Systems in Mechatronics and Robotics)
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