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Robotics publishes Special Issues to create collections of papers on specific topics, with the aim of building a community of authors and readers to discuss the latest research and develop new ideas and research directions. Special Issues are led by Guest Editors, who are experts on the topic and all Special Issue submissions follow MDPI's standard editorial process. The journal’s Editor-in-Chief and/or designated Editorial Board Member will oversee Guest Editor appointments and Special Issue proposals, checking their content for relevance and ensuring the suitability of the material for the journal. The papers published in a Special Issue will be collected and displayed on a dedicated page of the journal’s website. Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies and Guest Editor responsibilities can be found here. For any inquiries related to a Special Issue, please contact the Editorial Office.

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Autonomous Robotics for Exploration

edited by

John Hedley

submission deadline 31 Jan 2026 | 6 articles | Viewed by 10690 | Submission Open

Keywords: robot design; sensor systems; control algorithms; artificial intelligence; power management; communications; swarm; fault tolerance

(This special issue belongs to the Section Sensors and Control in Robotics)

Selected Papers from MESROB2025: 9th IFToMM International Workshop on New Trends in Medical and Service Robotics

edited by

Med Amine Laribi

and

Mehmet İsmet Can Dede

submission deadline 31 Jan 2026 | 1 articles | Viewed by 1135 | Submission Open

Keywords: medical and service robotics; human-robot interaction; assistance devices; collaborative robots; rehabilitation robots; healthcare robots; human assistance robots

(This special issue belongs to the Section Medical Robotics and Service Robotics)

Applications of Neural Networks in Robot Control

edited by

Luca Patanè

and

Paolo Arena

submission deadline 28 Feb 2026 | 7 articles | Viewed by 19994 | Submission Open

Keywords: neural control; spiking neural networks; bio-inspired brain models; neuromorphic systems; learning in bio-inspired robots; sensory– motor coordination; soft robotics; legged robotics

(This special issue belongs to the Section AI in Robotics)

Development of Biomedical Robotics

edited by

Bernardo Innocenti

submission deadline 28 Feb 2026 | 10 articles | Viewed by 16571 | Submission Open

Keywords: innovative surgical robots; rehabilitation robotics; diagnostic and therapeutic robots; robotic prosthetics and orthotics; integration of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) with biomedical robotics; ethical and regulatory considerations of biomedical robots

(This special issue belongs to the Section Neurorobotics)

Smart Agriculture with AI and Robotics

edited by

Antonio Valente

submission deadline 28 Feb 2026 | 3 articles | Viewed by 6508 | Submission Open

Keywords: agricultural robotics; AI for precision farming; autonomous field robots; machine vision for crops; human– robot collaboration; UAVs in agriculture; smart sensing and perception; path planning in unstructured terrain; sustainable farming automation; learning-based control systems

(This special issue belongs to the Section Agricultural and Field Robotics)

Dynamic Modeling and Model-Based Control of Soft Robots

edited by

Hamed Rahimi Nohooji

submission deadline 28 Feb 2026 | 3 articles | Viewed by 5185 | Submission Open

Keywords: soft robotics; dynamic modeling; Cosserat rods; PCC models; strain-based methods; model reduction; actuator dynamics; Lyapunov control; passivity-based control; safe control; hybrid soft– rigid systems

(This special issue belongs to the Section Soft Robotics)

Collaborative Robotics: Safety, Applications and Trends

edited by

Nicola Pellegrini

submission deadline 28 Feb 2026 | 1 articles | Viewed by 2090 | Submission Open

Keywords: collaborative robot (COBOT); energy efficiency in data processing and COBOTs’ usage; COBOT applications; safety in challenging industrial environments; service robot and security implications; robot and system interaction: human– machine interface

AI-Powered Robotic Systems: Learning, Perception and Decision-Making

edited by

Kensuke Harada

Genci Capi

and

João Miguel da Costa Sousa

submission deadline 28 Feb 2026 | Viewed by 448 | Submission Open

Keywords: learning-based control; planning for robotics; perception and sensor fusion; reinforcement learning; vision-based navigation; decision-making; cognitive robotics; adaptive behaviors; multi-agent; AI applications in human– robot interaction

(This special issue belongs to the Section AI in Robotics)

Advanced Grasping and Motion Control Solutions: 2nd Edition

edited by

Roman Mykhailyshyn

Ann Majewicz Fey

Charalampos P. Bechlioulis

and

Kensuke Harada

submission deadline 31 Mar 2026 | 2 articles | Viewed by 9557 | Submission Open

Keywords: robotics; grippers; grasping; motion control; dexterous manipulation; robotic applications; human– robot interaction; haptics; computation robotic systems; modeling of robotic applications; finite element method; robot design; advanced robotic manufacturing; rapid prototyping

(This special issue belongs to the Section Industrial Robots and Automation)

Human–AI–Robot Teaming (HART)

edited by Stefania Costantini, Pierangelo Dell’Acqua,

Giovanni De Gasperis

and Francesco Gullo

submission deadline 31 Mar 2026 | 2 articles | Viewed by 8795 | Submission Open

Keywords: human– AI interaction; human– AI teaming; cognitive robots; neurorobotics; human– agent interaction; visualization-empowered human-AI interaction

(This special issue belongs to the Section AI in Robotics)

SLAM and Adaptive Navigation for Robotics

edited by

Jinjin Yan

and Minzhou Luo

submission deadline 31 Mar 2026 | 1 articles | Viewed by 2232 | Submission Open

Keywords: SLAM; adaptive navigation; multi-robot systems; swarm robotics; UAVs; USVs; UUVs; localization; path planning; swarm intelligence; control

(This special issue belongs to the Section Sensors and Control in Robotics)

Affective Computing and Emotion Recognition of Robots

edited by Rui Li

submission deadline 31 Mar 2026 | Viewed by 1094 | Submission Open

Keywords: human– robot interaction; human– robot collaboration; computational models; affective computing; emotion recognition; emotional factors; machine perception; sensor technologies; machine learning; data analysis; psychology studies on human emotions; robot companion; robot control; social robots; emotion analysis

(This special issue belongs to the Section Intelligent Robots and Mechatronics)

IFToMM for Sustainable Development Goals: Contributions from I4SDG 2025 Conference

edited by

Giuseppe Carbone

and

Luigi Tagliavini

submission deadline 31 Mar 2026 | Viewed by 402 | Submission Open

Keywords: biomechanical engineering; linkages and mechanical control; sustainable energy systems; robotics and mechatronics; green tribology; humanitarian engineering and appropriate technologies; socio-technical systems for sustainable and inclusive development; education in MMS and SDGs; computational kinematics; gearing and transmissions; vibrations and reliability; rotordynamics and multibody dynamics; micromachines; engines and powertrains; history and terminology of MMS

Artificial Vision Systems for Robotics

edited by

Konstantinos Tsintotas

Ioannis Kostavelis

and

Kyriakos Tsiakmakis

submission deadline 31 Mar 2026 | Viewed by 257 | Submission Open

Keywords: visual perception; semantic scene understanding; object detection; vision-guided manipulation; robotic grasping; visual servoing; motion estimation; closed-loop control; three-dimensional vision; SLAM (Simultaneous Localization and Mapping); deep learning and AI for robotic vision; sensor fusion; vision-enabled robotic applications

(This special issue belongs to the Section Sensors and Control in Robotics)

The Future of Mobility: Exploring Wheeled–Legged Robot Systems

edited by

Songyan Xin

and

Guiyang Xin

submission deadline 31 Mar 2026 | Viewed by 239 | Submission Open

Keywords: wheeled– legged robots; dynamic locomotion; hybrid mobility systems; motion planning and control; whole-body control; terrain adaptation; perception-based locomotion; trajectory optimization; learning-based control; real-world deployment

Embodied Intelligence: Physical Human–Robot Interaction

edited by Mingyu Ding

submission deadline 30 Apr 2026 | 2 articles | Viewed by 14328 | Submission Open

Keywords: robotics; cognitive robotics; robot learning; embodied AI; tactile sensors and feedback; physics-based grasping; physical inference; human– robot interaction; physical interaction; vision-language understanding; soft object manipulation

(This special issue belongs to the Section AI in Robotics)

Advanced Control and Optimization for Robotic Systems

edited by

Allahyar Montazeri

submission deadline 30 Apr 2026 | 2 articles | Viewed by 812 | Submission Open

Keywords: nonlinear; adaptive; and robust control for robotics; learning-based and reinforcement learning control; optimization-based control; MPC; convex/non-convex optimization; distributed optimization; cooperative control; multi-robot systems; sensor-based control; sustainable control; safe and reliable control; motion planning; trajectory generation; data-driven control; model-based control

(This special issue belongs to the Section Sensors and Control in Robotics)

Motion Planning for Autonomous and Intelligent Mobile Robots in Unstructured Environments

edited by Yugang Liu

submission deadline 30 Apr 2026 | 1 articles | Viewed by 796 | Submission Open

Keywords: motion-planning; path planning; UGVs; obstacle avoidance; mobile robots; collision avoidance; motion control of UGVs and UAVs; mission planning

(This special issue belongs to the Section Aerospace Robotics and Autonomous Systems)

Nature-Inspired Medical Robotics: From Soft Machines to Magnetic Intelligence

edited by Mohammad Hasan Dad Ansari and

Ajay Vikram Singh

submission deadline 30 Apr 2026 | Viewed by 251 | Submission Open

Keywords: soft robotics; magnetic actuation; biomimetic robots; medical applications; nature-inspired design

(This special issue belongs to the Section Medical Robotics and Service Robotics)

State of the Art in Mobile Robot Localization

edited by José Miguel Guerrero Hernández, Francisco Martin-Rico and Rodrigo Pérez-Rodríguez

submission deadline 30 Apr 2026 | Viewed by 228 | Submission Open

Keywords: mobile robot localization and navigation; simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM); multi-sensor fusion (LiDAR; vision; GNSS; IMU; and UWB); probabilistic state estimation and Bayesian filtering; deep learning; AI-driven; and hybrid localization methods; robust localization in dynamic and uncertain environments; cooperative and multi-robot localization strategies; real-time localization and control for autonomous systems; benchmarking; datasets; and reproducible research in localization; applications in autonomous ground vehicles; UAVs; and service robots; semantic localization and navigation

(This special issue belongs to the Section Sensors and Control in Robotics)

Human-Centered Robotics: The Transition to Industry 5.0

edited by

Swaminath Venkateswaran

submission deadline 30 Apr 2026 | Viewed by 155 | Submission Open

Keywords: human-robot interaction; intelligent systems; Industry 4.0; Industry 5.0

(This special issue belongs to the Section Humanoid and Human Robotics)

Soft Robotic Actuation and Locomotion: The State of the Art

edited by

Francesco Visentin

Ebrahim Shahabi Shalghouni

and

Kean C. Aw

submission deadline 26 May 2026 | Viewed by 111 | Submission Open

Keywords: soft actuation and artificial muscles; bio-inspired locomotion; compliant and continuum mechanisms; pneumatic and electroactive systems; soft sensing and proprioception; modeling and control of soft robots; learning-based approaches; smart materials and morphing structures; embodied intelligence; autonomous soft systems

(This special issue belongs to the Section Soft Robotics)

Legged Robots into the Real World, 3rd Edition

edited by

Chengxu Zhou

submission deadline 31 May 2026 | Viewed by 243 | Submission Open

Keywords: legged robots; legged locomotion; humanoids and animaloids; whole-body motion planning and control; machine learning for robot control; mobile manipulation; SLAM; telerobotics and teleoperation; physical human– robot interaction

(This special issue belongs to the Section Humanoid and Human Robotics)

Embodied AI for Soft and Bio-Inspired Robotics

edited by

Yanhong Peng

and

Zhen Tian

submission deadline 31 May 2026 | Viewed by 192 | Submission Open

Keywords: soft robotics; bio-inspired robotics; morphological computation; embodied cognition; autonomous robots; Intelligent planning; learning-based system; multi-agent systems; human– robot interaction; robotics applications

(This special issue belongs to the Section Soft Robotics)

Foundation Models Verification in Autonomous Driving Systems

edited by Shahpour Alirezaee

submission deadline 31 May 2026 | Viewed by 83 | Submission Open

Keywords: application of Large Language Models (LLMs); Visual Language Models (VLMs); and Visual Language Action (VLAs) models in various aspects of autonomous vehicle; LLMs in user interaction and command recognition; VLMs in conjunction with textual inputs; enhancing situational awareness; VLAs in dynamic environments; verification frameworks of autonomous driving systems powered by these foundation models; case studies involving real-world applications; evaluation metrics and benchmarks for assessing the performance of foundation models in diverse driving scenarios

(This special issue belongs to the Section AI in Robotics)

Integrating Robotics into High-Accuracy Industrial Operations, 2nd Edition

edited by

Andrius Dzedzickis

and

Xinjun Liu

submission deadline 31 May 2026 | Viewed by 67 | Submission Open

Keywords: precision engineering; industrial robots; industrial automation; high-accuracy robotic applications; human– robot interaction; high-accuracy robotic machining; robotic quality control; robots positioning accuracy and repeatability; artificial intelligence in industrial robotics; sensors in robotic systems

(This special issue belongs to the Section Industrial Robots and Automation)

Localization and 3D Mapping of Intelligent Robotics

edited by Mónica Ballesta,

Oscar Reinoso García

and María Flores Tenza

submission deadline 30 Jun 2026 | 5 articles | Viewed by 13939 | Submission Open

Keywords: mobile robots; localization; computer vision; navigation; mapping; artificial intelligence; neuronal networks; LiDAR; point cloud; perception and detection

(This special issue belongs to the Section Sensors and Control in Robotics)

Human–Robot Collaboration in Industry 5.0

edited by

Stefano Baraldo

submission deadline 30 Jun 2026 | 2 articles | Viewed by 1692 | Submission Open

Keywords: human– robot collaboration; affective computing; learning by demonstration; natural language processing; deliberation; behavior adaptation; AI ethics; industrial applications; voice interaction; computer vision

(This special issue belongs to the Section Industrial Robots and Automation)

Perception and AI for Field Robotics

edited by

Cédric Pradalier

and

Tito Arevalo

submission deadline 30 Jun 2026 | Viewed by 88 | Submission Open

Keywords: field robotics; multi-sensor fusion; object detection; localization and mapping; AI-based decision-making and planning

(This special issue belongs to the Section Agricultural and Field Robotics)

Towards an Intelligent Surgical Partner—Robotics-Centered Context-Aware Surgical Systems

edited by

Abhilash Pandya

and

Ken Masamune

submission deadline 30 Jun 2026 | Viewed by 84 | Submission Open

Keywords: context-aware surgical robotics; human– robot collaboration in surgery; voice-controlled medical robots; real-time surgical scene analysis; cognitive load detection in surgeons

(This special issue belongs to the Section Medical Robotics and Service Robotics)

Intelligent Perception and Control for Autonomous Mobile Systems

edited by

Luigi Fortuna

and

Antonino Sferlazza

submission deadline 30 Jun 2026 | Viewed by 55 | Submission Open

Keywords: autonomous mobile systems; multimodal robot perception; path planning and tracking; navigation and localization; distributed and nonlinear control; artificial intelligence

(This special issue belongs to the Section Sensors and Control in Robotics)

Navigation Systems of Autonomous Underwater and Surface Vehicles

edited by

Agnieszka Lazarowska

submission deadline 31 Jul 2026 | 2 articles | Viewed by 6215 | Submission Open

Keywords: USVs and UUVs; autonomous navigation; obstacle avoidance; machine learning; swarm intelligence; motion control; mission planning

(This special issue belongs to the Section Aerospace Robotics and Autonomous Systems)

Selected Papers from MEDER 2026: Advances in Mechanism Design for Robotics

edited by

Rogério Sales Gonçalves

and

Matteo Russo

submission deadline 31 Oct 2026 | Viewed by 253 | Submission Open

Keywords: mechanism design; education and history of mms; theoretical and computational kinematics; experimental mechanics; mechanics of robots; control issues of mechanical systems; machine intelligence; innovative mechanisms and applications; linkages and manipulators; micro-mechanisms; dynamics of machinery and multi-body systems; smart devices

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