Dear Colleagues,

The concept of creating machines (systems) that can work autonomously dates back to classical times. Today, autonomous systems are a rapidly growing branch of engineering that involves the conception, design, and operation of systems that overlap with principles of computer science, electronics, nanotechnology, Artificial Intelligence (AI), and bioengineering. The current maturity of autonomous systems is allowing them to leave the research lab and come to the consumer market in large numbers. This is especially valid in the Fifth Industrial Revolution era, the hallmark of which is bringing human cognition and AI-enabled autonomous systems together, working collaboratively to the benefit of both.

In the particular area of transport, Autonomous Transport Systems (ATS) include the full range of transport vehicles, including trucks, buses, trains, metros, ships, drones, helicopters, and airplanes. Automation in this area has the potential to make land, air, and marine operations safer, faster, more efficient, and greener, contributing to both the adapted Vision Zero, including work-related deaths as a new central element, and to the European Green Deal initiative. The European Green Deal defines four key elements for a sustainable mobility and automotive industry, namely: climate neutrality, a zero-pollution Europe, sustainable transport, and the transition to a circular economy.

The greatest challenge for the success of ATS is safety and the resulting trust in autonomy, which in turn represents the prominent driving force to reach a high user acceptance. Without addressing these issues across the entire Electronic Components and Systems (ECS) value chain, we will not be able to fully use the technological and commercial potentials of autonomous systems in general.

Aligned with the above, the goal of this Special Issue is to present key findings and challenges related to ECS and architectures for future mass market ATS.

Key technical topics can include (but are not limited to):

• Fusion and perception of digital platforms for efficient and federated computing;
• Efficient propulsion and energy modules;
• Advanced connectivity for cooperative mobility applications;
• Vehicle/edge/cloud computing integration concepts;
• Intelligent components based on trustworthy AI techniques and methods;
• Perception enhanced with Operational Design Domains (ODD) attributes;
• ODD-aware decision making and planning for cross-domain applications;
• Monitoring and control solutions for Electric, Connected, Autonomous and Shared (ECAS) vehicles;
• ATS user acceptance.

Dr. George Dimitrakopoulos
Dr. Morten Larsen
Guest Editors

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• autonomous transport systems
• highly automated vehicles
• electronic components and systems
• ODD
• AI
• acceptance