Symmetry in Robotics and Aerial Systems: Theory, Learning and Applications

Dear Colleagues, 

Symmetry and its deliberate breaking provide a unifying framework for sensing, modeling, and control in robotics and aerial systems. Group structure underpins invariance in perception, conserved quantities in dynamics, and constraints that planners and controllers can exploit. In practice, symmetry-aware methods enhance robustness, sample efficiency, and computational efficiency through the use of equivariant neural networks, symmetry-preserving estimators, and reduced-order models.

Aerial systems (UAVs) offer a rigorous testbed. Rotor and airframe symmetries shape actuation and disturbance rejection, formation and swarm symmetries enable scalable coordination, and geometric invariances inform visual–inertial localization and mapping. Purposeful asymmetries in morphology or control allocation can further enhance maneuverability, interaction, and payload handling.

This Special Issue, entitled “Symmetry in Robotics and Aerial Systems: Theory, Learning and Applications,” invites original research and reviews that rigorously formulate, exploit, or evaluate symmetry across computer vision, sensing, control, learning, and design. We particularly welcome contributions on symmetry-aware planning and Model Predictive Control, equivariant and invariant learning (including geometric deep learning and structure-preserving reinforcement learning), symmetry-preserving SLAM and state estimation, multi-robot and swarm coordination, aerial manipulation, mid-air docking and handoff, cooperative transport, and reproducible benchmarks and datasets spanning aerial, ground, and underwater platforms.

We encourage submissions that cover a wide range of topics, including, but not limited to, the following:

• Model predictive control and optimization exploiting symmetry;
• Motion planning, trajectory generation, and formation control with symmetry constraints;
• Multi-robot systems and swarm robotics: symmetric formations, consensus, and distributed control;
• Aerial systems (UAVs): guidance, navigation, and control;
• Aerial manipulation and grasping with symmetry-aware planners and controllers;
• Mapping, SLAM, and localization with symmetry constraints;
• Computer vision with symmetry;
• Image, point-cloud, and event-stream processing using symmetry/equivariance;
• Pattern analysis and machine learning leveraging symmetry in robotics datasets;
• Symmetry-aware sensor fusion (IMU/Vision/UWB/GNSS) and observability analysis;
• Symmetry in embedded and real-time mechatronic architectures, as well as control allocation for symmetric actuators;
• Fault tolerance and disturbance rejection via symmetry and redundancy;
• Sim-to-real transfer and domain randomization respecting system symmetries;
• Applications across aerial, ground, and underwater platforms.

Dr. Alice James
Dr. Endrowednes Kuantama
Dr. Avishkar Seth
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 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. Symmetry 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.

• symmetry and asymmetry
• equivariance and invariance
• geometric mechanics
• model predictive control (MPC)
• aerial robotics (UAV/UAS)
• swarm robotics and formation control
• SLAM and visual–inertial localization
• geometric deep learning
• optimization-based control
• cooperative manipulation and payload transport