Innovative Protocols, Algorithms, and Applications for Autonomous Sensing and Sensor Networks
A special issue of Sensors (ISSN 1424-8220). This special issue belongs to the section "Sensor Networks".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 25 August 2026 | Viewed by 23
Special Issue Editors
Interests: shared spectrum networks; intelligent computer networks; AI-based healthcare; multi-agent systems
Interests: software engineering; distributed computing; formal methods text & data mining; semantic computing; deep learning
Interests: distributed multimedia systems; high-speed networks to support real-time applications; performance evaluation; local area networks
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
The confluence of sensing technologies and artificial intelligence is driving a transformative shift across numerous domains, enabling sensing systems to move beyond simple data collection toward intelligent, predictive, and autonomous decision-making. Leveraging advanced AI-enabled capabilities, such as perception, reasoning, and action execution, particularly through large language models and deep learning, offers significant potential for developing new and innovative protocols, algorithms, and applications to autonomously perform complex fusion and processing of massive amounts of multimodal data to gain valuable insights and knowledge. Armed with these capabilities, future sensing applications can anticipate trends, simulate scenarios to uncover vulnerabilities and hidden risks, and recommend optimal actions, securely and at scale, with unprecedented levels of accuracy, efficiency, and adaptability. The dynamic continuous loop, where perception, cognition, and action are seamlessly integrated into sensing devices and sensor networks, will enable the development of self-configuring, self-adapting, and self-optimizing sensing systems. These systems will support autonomous, proactive sensing strategies, applications, and decision-making across a wide range of domains, including healthcare, agriculture, supply chain, and manufacturing.
Despite recent advances in intelligent sensors and sensing technology, autonomous sensing and sensor networks face several key challenges. A primary issue is the need for real-time algorithms and protocols for the acquisition and processing of compositional and semantic data necessary to provide meaning, context, and relationships. Effective approaches and methods are also needed to handle domain shifts caused by variations in sensor technology and the environment. Moreover, integrating intelligent capabilities into autonomous sensor networks requires responsive and robust hardware that can securely and reliably perform observation, reconfiguration, and cognition. This Special Issue seeks original research articles, as well as review and survey papers, focused on advances in innovative protocols, algorithms, and applications for the next generation of intelligent, autonomous sensor networks.
Dr. Debarun Das
Prof. Dr. Haiping Xu
Prof. Dr. Taieb Znati
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. Sensors 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 sensing
- sensor networks
- innovative sensing algorithms, protocols, and applications
- intelligent sensing hardware
- intelligent methods for real-time semantic data acquisition and processing
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.

