Wide Application of Marine Robotic Systems

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: 5 May 2026 | Viewed by 2730

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
College of Artificial Intelligence and Automation, Hohai University, Changzhou, China
Interests: artificial intelligence; smart water; Internet of Things; machine learning; automation; robotics
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The rapid advancement of robotics, artificial intelligence, and sensing technologies has profoundly transformed the landscape of marine science and engineering. Marine robotic systems (MRS)—including Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUVs), Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROVs), Unmanned Surface Vessels (USVs), and autonomous aerial drones—are now crucial to ocean observation, exploration, and resource utilization.  These systems enhance the efficiency, safety, and scope of marine operations, enabling missions that are otherwise too dangerous, costly, or impractical for humans. By supporting real-time perception, decision-making, and cooperation under complex ocean environments, intelligent MRS are reshaping the way humans interact with and understand the marine world.

This Special Issue aims to consolidate cutting-edge research and emerging trends in the design, control, and application of marine robotic systems. It enables a space to share innovative theories, methods, and technologies that advance autonomy, perception, and collaboration in marine robotics. Topics of interest include intelligent sensing and data processing, multi-vehicle coordination, AI- and machine-learning-based decision systems, and the integration of robotic platforms for environmental monitoring, deep-sea exploration, and offshore operations. By bridging interdisciplinary perspectives, this Special Issue will highlight key challenges and opportunities in realizing intelligent, efficient, and sustainable robotic systems for future marine science and engineering.

The topics of interest for this Special Issue include but are not limited to

  • Design, control, and optimization of marine robotic systems;
  • Autonomy, perception, and collaboration in marine robotics;
  • Intelligent sensing and data processing;
  • Multi-vehicle coordination and cooperative control;
  • AI- and machine-learning-based decision systems;
  • Integration of robotic platforms for complex marine operations;
  • Applications in environmental monitoring and marine observation;
  • Deep-sea exploration and subsea intervention by MRS;
  • Sustainable and intelligent marine operation systems.

Prof. Dr. Jianjun Ni
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 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. Journal of Marine Science and Engineering 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 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

  • autonomous underwater vehicles
  • remotely operated vehicles
  • unmanned surface vessels
  • marine robotics and automation
  • underwater manipulation and intervention
  • swarm robotics and collaborative missions
  • path planning and autonomous navigation
  • marine environment monitoring and habitat mapping
  • deep-sea exploration and seabed mapping

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

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30 pages, 7652 KB  
Article
Adaptive Force Planning-Integrated Coupled Dynamical Systems for Underwater Soft Hands Grasping Stability Under Marine Disturbances
by Qingjun Zeng, Weiwei Yang, Xiaoqiang Dai, Ning Zhang and Jinxing Liu
J. Mar. Sci. Eng. 2026, 14(6), 520; https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse14060520 - 10 Mar 2026
Viewed by 283
Abstract
As critical end-effectors enabling the practical deployment of marine robotic systems, soft hands face persistent challenges including multi-finger asynchronization, unbalanced force distribution, and insufficient anti-disturbance robustness, compounded by constraints from soft material nonlinearity and harsh marine environmental disturbances. To address these limitations, this [...] Read more.
As critical end-effectors enabling the practical deployment of marine robotic systems, soft hands face persistent challenges including multi-finger asynchronization, unbalanced force distribution, and insufficient anti-disturbance robustness, compounded by constraints from soft material nonlinearity and harsh marine environmental disturbances. To address these limitations, this paper proposes a dexterous grasping method integrating coupled dynamical systems and adaptive force planning control, designed to enhance operational reliability in complex marine environments. An intermediate dynamic layer is embedded to ensure precise multi-finger synchronization, a hybrid force planning algorithm balances force uniformity and constraint satisfaction, and an adaptive controller synergizes with a Neo-Hookean model to compensate for nonlinear deviations. Simulations and physical experiments demonstrate that the method delivers excellent grasping stability and accuracy for uneven mass distribution targets such as cylinders and spheres, while balancing synchronization precision, constraint compliance, and anti-disturbance capability. Compared with the traditional coupled dynamical systems (DSs), the constraint violation is reduced by up to 18.2%, the friction force is increased by 4.0%, and the force distribution uniformity is improved by approximately 5.1%.Compared with the particle swarm optimization (PSO) strategy, the constraint violation is reduced by up to 50.5%, the friction force is increased by 40.9%, and the force distribution uniformity is also improved by about 5.1%. This work fills a key gap in balancing multiple performance metrics for marine soft hands, providing a reliable technical solution to accelerate the real-world deployment of marine robotic systems. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Wide Application of Marine Robotic Systems)
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Review

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36 pages, 1402 KB  
Review
A Comprehensive Review of Bio-Inspired Approaches to Coordination, Communication, and System Architecture in Underwater Swarm Robotics
by Shyalan Ramesh, Scott Mann and Alex Stumpf
J. Mar. Sci. Eng. 2026, 14(1), 59; https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse14010059 - 29 Dec 2025
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2100
Abstract
The increasing complexity of marine operations has intensified the need for intelligent robotic systems to support ocean observation, exploration, and resource management. Underwater swarm robotics offers a promising framework that extends the capabilities of individual autonomous platforms through collective coordination. Inspired by natural [...] Read more.
The increasing complexity of marine operations has intensified the need for intelligent robotic systems to support ocean observation, exploration, and resource management. Underwater swarm robotics offers a promising framework that extends the capabilities of individual autonomous platforms through collective coordination. Inspired by natural systems, such as fish schools and insect colonies, bio-inspired swarm approaches enable distributed decision-making, adaptability, and resilience under challenging marine conditions. Yet research in this field remains fragmented, with limited integration across algorithmic, communication, and hardware design perspectives. This review synthesises bio-inspired coordination mechanisms, communication strategies, and system design considerations for underwater swarm robotics. It examines key marine-specific algorithms, including the Artificial Fish Swarm Algorithm, Whale Optimisation Algorithm, Coral Reef Optimisation, and Marine Predators Algorithm, highlighting their applications in formation control, task allocation, and environmental interaction. The review also analyses communication constraints unique to the underwater domain and emerging acoustic, optical, and hybrid solutions that support cooperative operation. Additionally, it examines hardware and system design advances that enhance system efficiency and scalability. A multi-dimensional classification framework evaluates existing approaches across communication dependency, environmental adaptability, energy efficiency, and swarm scalability. Through this integrated analysis, the review unifies bio-inspired coordination algorithms, communication modalities, and system design approaches. It also identifies converging trends, key challenges, and future research directions for real-world deployment of underwater swarm systems. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Wide Application of Marine Robotic Systems)
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