Underwater Vehicles and Robotics
A special issue of Journal of Marine Science and Engineering (ISSN 2077-1312). This special issue belongs to the section "Ocean Engineering".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 25 March 2026 | Viewed by 3
Special Issue Editor
Interests: system dynamics; mechatronics; underwater vehicles; automation and robotics; trajectory tracking; path planning; multi-body dynamic modelling; intelligent navigation; autonomous vehicles; machine learning
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
You are cordially invited to submit manuscripts for a Special Issue of Journal of Marine Science and Engineering (JMSE) titled “Underwater Vehicles and Robotics.”
In recent years, autonomous and robotic marine systems have gained significant research attention due to their critical roles in ocean exploration, environmental monitoring, offshore operations, defence, and maritime logistics. These systems include autonomous surface vehicles (ASVs), autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs), remotely operated vehicles (ROVs), and hybrid robotic platforms capable of operating in complex marine environments. Research in this area focuses on designing, developing, and supporting the operation of unmanned marine vehicles for scientific, academic, and commercial applications. In particular, modelling, control, and navigation techniques are essential for constructing efficient and reliable systems that ensure safety and operational effectiveness.
This Special Issue aims to gather contributions on modelling, control, guidance, state estimation, cooperation, and localization of marine vehicles and robotics. We welcome original research articles and comprehensive reviews that consolidate current knowledge, highlight recent theoretical and experimental advancements, and discuss practical applications and emerging challenges. Contributions that explore novel techniques with potential real-world impact are especially encouraged.
Potential topics of interest include, but are not limited to, the following:
- Autonomous surface and underwater vehicles: ASVs, USVs, AUVs, ROVs, UUVs, and underwater gliders.
- Swarms of marine vehicles, multi-vehicle mission planning, and cooperative operations.
- Guidance, navigation, and path/trajectory planning, including collision avoidance.
- Kinematics, vehicle dynamics, and dynamic positioning systems.
- Sensor and actuator systems, including new active and passive sensors.
- Control, intelligent/adaptive architectures, and cooperative control for multi-unmanned systems.
- Modelling, simulation, and computational fluid dynamics (CFD) applications.
- Structural modelling, analysis, and vehicle model testing.
- Applications of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) in marine robotics and autonomous networks.
- Power management, fault diagnosis, and fault-tolerant control.
- Field trials, case studies, and experimental validations.
We look forward to receiving your contributions to this Special Issue of JMSE, which will bring together the latest developments in this field.
Dr. Mai The Vu
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. Journal of Marine Science and Engineering is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly 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 2600 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
- unmanned surface vehicles (USVs)
- autonomous surface vehicles (ASVs)
- remotely operated vehicles (ROVs)
- unmanned underwater vehicles (UUVs)
- glider
- autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs)
- navigation and guidance system
- intelligent control
- robust control
- linear and nonlinear control
- formation control
- adaptive control
- path planning and path following
- machine learning and deep learning
- localization, mapping and SLAM
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