Search for Articles:
Title / Keyword
Author / Affiliation / Email
Journal
Article Type
 
 
Advanced Search
 
Section
Special Issue
Volume
Issue
Number
Page
 
4.7
2.5
Journals
Machines
Special Issues
Design and Control of Compliant, Energy-Efficient Mechatronic and Robotic Systems
share announcement

Design and Control of Compliant, Energy-Efficient Mechatronic and Robotic Systems

A special issue of Machines (ISSN 2075-1702). This special issue belongs to the section "Robotics, Mechatronics and Intelligent Machines".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 September 2026 | Viewed by 1495

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Luigi Tagliavini

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Politecnico di Torino, 10129 Torino, Italy
Interests: applied mechanics; mechanism design; service robotics; assistive technologies; electric-powered wheelchairs; precision agriculture
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Luca Bruzzone

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Mechanical, Energy, Management and Transportation Engineering, University of Genoa, 16145 Genoa, Italy
Interests: robotics; mobile robotics; mechatronics; control system design
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Over the few past decades, technological advancements have led to the widespread adoption of numerous mechatronic and robotic systems across varied industrial and service sectors. In robotics, significant progress is being made through integrating advanced technologies such as artificial intelligence. As mechatronic systems become increasingly sophisticated, their power demands increase, resulting in greater environmental impacts, higher operational costs, and reduced power autonomy—factors that can limit the practical deployment of these innovations. Introducing built-in compliant elements in robotic and mechatronic systems has emerged as an effective strategy to enhance their energy efficiency along with shock tolerance, system responsiveness, and safety in collaborative tasks. For example, compliant elements can be used to modify the dynamic interaction with the environment or store potential energy to generate a free vibration response that can be exploited in cyclic tasks.

In this context, this Special Issue will gather innovative research in the field of compliant, energy-efficient mechatronic and robotic systems. Topics of interest include, but are not limited to, the design, control, and application outcomes of innovative architectures aimed at improving system efficiency and safety.

Researchers are encouraged to submit full-length articles or reviews presenting the latest results and findings of their research.

Dr. Luigi Tagliavini
Prof. Luca Bruzzone
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. Machines 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 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

  • compliant robots
  • robots design
  • robots control
  • energy-efficient systems

Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue

  • Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
  • Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
  • Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
  • External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
  • Reprint: MDPI Books provides the opportunity to republish successful Special Issues in book format, both online and in print.

Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (2 papers)

Download All Papers
Order results
Result details
Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

14 pages, 1593 KB  
Article
The Concept of the Virtual Pose Instruction Plane (VPIP) for Controlling Rod-Driven Spherical Robots
by Jasper Zevering, Joshua Braun, Martin Hesse, Kedus Mathewos, Dorit Borrmann, Anton Bredenbeck and Andreas Nüchter
Machines 2026, 14(5), 486; https://doi.org/10.3390/machines14050486 - 26 Apr 2026
Viewed by 342
Abstract
The exploration of lunar caves is a critical aspect of the space exploration program of the European Space Agency (ESA). To facilitate this mission, the DAEDALUS study investigated a novel spherical robot design in 2021. The proposed robot uses a unique telescopic linear [...] Read more.
The exploration of lunar caves is a critical aspect of the space exploration program of the European Space Agency (ESA). To facilitate this mission, the DAEDALUS study investigated a novel spherical robot design in 2021. The proposed robot uses a unique telescopic linear rod mechanism to generate rotation and hence locomotion. This drive mechanism requires a dedicated control scheme to ensure both locomotion and simultaneously stabilization of the robot. The overall task of following a curved trajectory is also a problem that cannot be solved by simple algorithms. In this work, we introduce, calculate, and simulate a solution for these tasks, the Virtual Pose Instruction Plane (VPIP). The VPIP breaks the problem of multiple independent controllable rods down to two controllable parameters (roll and pitch of the plane), which control the linear motion velocity, balance and ultimately curvature motion of the robot. Initial simulations show that both speed and cornering can be controlled by the VPIP. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Design and Control of Compliant, Energy-Efficient Mechatronic and Robotic Systems)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

19 pages, 3599 KB  
Article
Integrated Dynamic Modeling and Improved Deviation Coupling Control for Synchronous Motion of Multi-Joint Hydraulic Robotic Arms
by Longmei Zhao, Jianbo Dai, Haozhi Xu, Mingyuan Sun, Xiaoqi Li and Shuren Chen
Machines 2026, 14(3), 326; https://doi.org/10.3390/machines14030326 - 13 Mar 2026
Viewed by 574
Abstract
Multi-joint hydraulic robotic arms are core equipment in intelligent mining, yet their performance is often limited by strong dynamic coupling and nonlinear hydraulic effects. Traditional control methods struggle to achieve high-precision trajectory tracking and coordinated motion under high loads and flow-coupling constraints. To [...] Read more.
Multi-joint hydraulic robotic arms are core equipment in intelligent mining, yet their performance is often limited by strong dynamic coupling and nonlinear hydraulic effects. Traditional control methods struggle to achieve high-precision trajectory tracking and coordinated motion under high loads and flow-coupling constraints. To address these challenges, this paper establishes a coupled hydraulic–mechanical dynamic model for a multi-joint robotic arm. The mechanical dynamics are derived using the Lagrangian formulation, while the hydraulic dynamics account for flow coupling among cylinders. An improved deviation coupling control (IDCC) strategy is proposed, integrating feedforward–feedback compensation, coupling error regulation, and a flow-limiting correction term. Co-simulation in Simulink (2024b) and Amesim (2020) shows that under flow-saturation conditions, the improved strategy reduces the peak trajectory errors by approximately 47.88%, 28.08%, and 49.89% for Joints 1–3, respectively, and shortens the settling time by 27.93%. Experimental results from a three-joint hydraulic test platform confirm error reductions of 10.20–15.58% and a 31.50% decrease in overall adjustment time. The study demonstrates that the proposed control strategy effectively suppresses multi-joint coupling interferences, enhances trajectory tracking accuracy, and improves the adaptability of hydraulic robotic arms under flow-limited conditions, providing a viable solution for high-precision control in intelligent mining applications. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Design and Control of Compliant, Energy-Efficient Mechatronic and Robotic Systems)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:
 
Displaying articles 1-2
Back to TopTop