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Automation
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Intelligent Mechatronic Systems: Advances in Automation, Control, and Robotics
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Intelligent Mechatronic Systems: Advances in Automation, Control, and Robotics

A special issue of Automation (ISSN 2673-4052). This special issue belongs to the section "Robotics and Autonomous Systems".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 August 2026 | Viewed by 3737

Special Issue Editors

Dr. José R. García-Martínez

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Guest Editor
Faculty of Electronics and Communications Engineering, Universidad Veracruzana, Poza Rica 93390, Mexico
Interests: numerical and computational methods; fractional calculus; developing and implementing advanced strategies for dynamic system control; integrating artificial intelligence into embedded systems; optimizing algorithms based on fuzzy logic and machine learning
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Roberto Valentin Carrillo-Serrano

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Guest Editor
Dirección de Investigación y Posgrado de la Facultad de Ingeniería, Universidad Autónoma de Querétaro, Santiago de Querétaro, Mexico
Interests: robot manipulator; control of electrical machines; control of mechatronic systems; renewable energies
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Juvenal Rodriguez-Resendiz

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Facultad de Ingeniería, Universidad Autónoma de Querétaro, Santiago de Queretaro 76010, Mexico
Interests: robotics; biomedical applications; instrumentation and measurement; signal processing
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue will provide an overview of the preponderant role that mechatronic systems have acquired in contemporary scientific, technological, and industrial development. In recent decades, mechatronics has evolved from a discipline that integrates mechanics, electronics, and control to become the central axis of intelligent solutions in various strategic sectors. Its impact is evident in advanced robotics applications, in the design and implementation of autonomous systems, and in the integration of emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, computer vision, and additive manufacturing. In particular, the contribution of mechatronic systems in the area of automatic control has been crucial to the development of more precise, adaptive, and efficient supervisory architectures by integrating smart sensors, high-precision actuators, and advanced control algorithms that allow for robotic platforms to interact with their environment autonomously and safely.

Likewise, the incorporation of artificial intelligence techniques has given rise to systems that are capable of learning, reasoning, and making decisions in real-time, significantly expanding their range of application—from industrial automation to medical assistance to exploration in unstructured environments. In this context, this Special Issue aims to gather original contributions and reviews that examine the key intersections between mechatronics, control, robotics, and artificial intelligence, with a focus on interdisciplinary approaches that foster the development of intelligent cyber–physical systems and their influence on global technological innovation.

Dr. José R. García-Martínez
Dr. Roberto Valentin Carrillo-Serrano
Prof. Dr. Juvenal Rodriguez-Resendiz
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 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

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. Automation 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 1200 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

  • mechatronic systems
  • control systems
  • robotics
  • artificial intelligence
  • cyber–physical systems
  • autonomous systems
  • smart sensors and actuators
  • intelligent control
  • industrial automation
  • machine learning in mechatronics
  • computer vision
  • human–robot interaction
  • interdisciplinary technologies
  • embedded systems
  • adaptive control
  • fuzzy control
  • metaheuristic algorithms optimization

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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22 pages, 5412 KB  
Article
Design and Verification of 6-DOF Robotic Arm for Captive Trajectory System Applications in Wind Tunnel
by Sadia Sadiq, Muhammad Umer Sohail, Muhammad Wasim, Farooq Kifayat Ullah and Zeashan Khan
Automation 2026, 7(2), 58; https://doi.org/10.3390/automation7020058 - 1 Apr 2026
Viewed by 429
Abstract
Accurate prediction of store trajectories at the point of release from an unmanned/manned aircraft is an essential requirement for safety and precision. Captive Trajectory System (CTS) is a well-known feature of wind-tunnel testing to simulate the dynamics of store separation. To accurately replicate [...] Read more.
Accurate prediction of store trajectories at the point of release from an unmanned/manned aircraft is an essential requirement for safety and precision. Captive Trajectory System (CTS) is a well-known feature of wind-tunnel testing to simulate the dynamics of store separation. To accurately replicate real-world aerodynamic conditions based on measured forces and moments, it utilizes a six-degree-of-freedom (6-DOF) robotic arm controlled by a closed-loop control system that solves the store’s equations of motion. In this study, a wing–pylon–store configuration is used as a sample case, and published experimental trajectories are used as input. A 6-DOF robotic arm named ROBO-S is designed to follow these trajectories in a CTS setup. The kinematic analysis of ROBO-S is performed in this study. The Denavit–Hartenberg (DH) method is used for the calculation of forward kinematics, whereas geometric techniques are used for inverse kinematics calculations. A simulation of kinematic analysis is performed in MATLAB R2021a. The mechanical design of ROBO-S is carried out in PTC CREO 9.0. MATLAB simulations confirm that the robotic arm can follow the trajectory obtained from published experimental results. To demonstrate the feasibility of the design, the robotic arm is fabricated using 3D printing. The results demonstrate the potential of the developed system in accurately following trajectories for wind-tunnel testing applications. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Intelligent Mechatronic Systems: Advances in Automation, Control, and Robotics)
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26 pages, 5810 KB  
Article
A Classic and Fuzzy Parallel Hybrid Controller of PD-PI Type for a Two-Wheeled Self-Balancing Robot
by Ricardo Rojas-Galván, Josué A. Romero-Moreno, Roberto V. Carrillo-Serrano, José R. García-Martínez, Trinidad Martínez-Sánchez, Mario Trejo-Perea, José G. Ríos-Moreno and Juvenal Rodríguez-Reséndiz
Automation 2026, 7(2), 49; https://doi.org/10.3390/automation7020049 - 13 Mar 2026
Viewed by 394
Abstract
Two-wheeled self-balancing robots (TWSBRs) are difficult to control because they are nonlinear, unstable, and underactuated, particularly when balance, velocity regulation, and line tracking must be achieved simultaneously. This paper proposes a hybrid parallel control architecture for a line-following TWSBR operating on straight segments, [...] Read more.
Two-wheeled self-balancing robots (TWSBRs) are difficult to control because they are nonlinear, unstable, and underactuated, particularly when balance, velocity regulation, and line tracking must be achieved simultaneously. This paper proposes a hybrid parallel control architecture for a line-following TWSBR operating on straight segments, 90∘ curves, and a 15∘ slope. Balance stabilization is handled by a classical PD loop, while traslational velocity is regulated by an adaptive fuzzy PI controller, and line following is performed with an adaptive fuzzy PD controller. The fuzzy modules adjust the effective gains based on tracking errors, thereby improving robustness to disturbances, sensor noise, and changes in operating conditions. The complete strategy is implemented on a low-cost PIC18F4550 microcontroller. Experiments show that the fuzzy line-following controller reduces the orientation tracking error compared with a conventional controller. At 0.10ms, RMSE decreases from 0.042rad to 0.038rad, and at 0.175ms, it decreases from 0.083rad to 0.066rad. The fuzzy approach also improves IAE (1.317rads to 1.185rads) and ISE (0.242rad2s to 0.153rad2s) at 0.175ms, while maintaining similar maximum error (0.299rad to 0.261rad). Overall, the proposed hybrid scheme achieves better adaptability without retuning. These results support real-time deployment on resource-limited platforms. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Intelligent Mechatronic Systems: Advances in Automation, Control, and Robotics)
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32 pages, 11520 KB  
Article
Blockchain-Embedded Service-Level Agreement to Measure Trust in a Frugal Smart Factory Assembly Process
by Jesús Anselmo Fortoul-Díaz, Luis Antonio Carrillo-Martinez, Javier Cuatepotzo-Hernández, Froylan Cortes-Santacruz and Juan Daniel Marín-Segura
Automation 2026, 7(1), 17; https://doi.org/10.3390/automation7010017 - 9 Jan 2026
Viewed by 734
Abstract
Integrating emerging Industry 4.0 technologies into smart factories has been widely discussed, particularly challenges regarding the practical use of a blockchain; one remaining challenge is the role of a blockchain beyond logistics and traceability, as well as its ability to support explicit trust [...] Read more.
Integrating emerging Industry 4.0 technologies into smart factories has been widely discussed, particularly challenges regarding the practical use of a blockchain; one remaining challenge is the role of a blockchain beyond logistics and traceability, as well as its ability to support explicit trust measurement in real industrial environments. Existing studies often treat trust as a conceptual or cloud-oriented construction, without linking it to measurable production events. This study proposes a blockchain service-level agreement (SLA) to measure trust at an open-source frugal smart factory (SF). Trust is defined as a dynamic quantitative score derived from measurable process events, including estimated and response times, assembly correctness, and transaction outcomes; all of this is calculated through a smart contract implemented on a blockchain network. The approach is implemented in a tangram puzzle assembly process that integrates cyber-physical systems, edge computing, artificial intelligence, cloud computing, data analytics, cybersecurity, and the blockchain within a unified SF architecture. The framework was experimentally validated across four representative assembly scenarios: (i) the SF delivered the puzzle in time and was correctly assembled (λs = 0.1734), (ii) the puzzle was completed within tolerance time (λs = 0.0649), (iii) the puzzle was delivered on time and was incorrectly assembled (λs = 0.0005), and (iv) the puzzle was completed outside the tolerance time and was correctly assembled (λs = 4.91 × 10−5); demonstrating that the model accurately estimates expected assembly times and updates trust without manual intervention during a physical manufacturing task, addressing the limitations of prior conceptual and cloud-based approaches. The main research contributions include an operational SLA-based trust model, the demonstration of the feasibility of applying blockchain-based SLAs in a physical SF environment, and evidence that a blockchain can be justified as a mechanism for managing and measuring trust in SF, rather than solely for traceability or logistics. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Intelligent Mechatronic Systems: Advances in Automation, Control, and Robotics)
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23 pages, 5409 KB  
Article
Design and Validation of a Low-Cost Automated Dip-Coater System for Laboratory Applications
by Cesar H. Guzmán-Valdivia, Héctor R. Azcaray-Rivera, Arturo J. Martínez-Mata, Jorge A. Brizuela-Mendoza, Héctor M. Buenabad-Arias, Agustín Barrera-Sánchez and Andrés Blanco-Ortega
Automation 2025, 6(4), 75; https://doi.org/10.3390/automation6040075 - 19 Nov 2025
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1303
Abstract
Dip coating is a widely used laboratory method for depositing thin films and functional coatings. However, commercial dip-coaters remain costly and often exceed the needs of teaching labs and early-stage research. This paper presents a simple, low-cost automated dip-coater capable of delivering repeatable [...] Read more.
Dip coating is a widely used laboratory method for depositing thin films and functional coatings. However, commercial dip-coaters remain costly and often exceed the needs of teaching labs and early-stage research. This paper presents a simple, low-cost automated dip-coater capable of delivering repeatable rise–dwell–fall motion for benchtop applications. The system integrates a 3D-printed PLA structure, a stepper-lead-screw actuator, and a PC-hosted graphical user interface that learns and executes user-specified trajectories without additional hardware controls. A compact mathematical model generates triangular and trapezoidal profiles and maps them to step pulses via the steps-per-millimeter factor. The mechatronic design and sequential control are described, and the prototype is validated through simulations and experiments. Non-contact measurements demonstrate high repeatability, accurate dwell timing, and bounded accelerations with minor deviations at switching instants. The bill of materials is 50 USD (≈1–2% of entry-level commercial systems), underscoring stability, robustness, and accessibility for instructional and resource-constrained settings. These results indicate strong potential for routine laboratory use and a clear path to future enhancements. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Intelligent Mechatronic Systems: Advances in Automation, Control, and Robotics)
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