Symmetry/Asymmetry in Design and Control of Robotic Systems

Dear Colleagues,

Symmetry and asymmetry are fundamental concepts that influence the design and control of robotic systems. Symmetry often brings elegance, simplicity, and predictable behavior to mechanical design, as seen in balanced actuators, parallel manipulators, or evenly distributed sensor layouts. However, real-world constraints such as manufacturing imperfections, material inconsistencies, environmental disturbances, and nonlinear dynamics inevitably introduce asymmetries. These asymmetries can degrade performance, cause instability, or demand additional energy to maintain system reliability.

To address these challenges, advanced control strategies must account for both the advantages of symmetric design and the inevitable impact of asymmetry. Whether it is compensating for structural deviations, developing robust algorithms for uncertain environments, or leveraging deliberate asymmetry for improved functionality, this field remains rich with open questions.

For this Special Issue, “Symmetry/Asymmetry in Design and Control of Robotic Systems”, we invite original research and comprehensive survey papers that explore theoretical advances, design methodologies, algorithmic innovations, and practical applications in this emerging area. Our aim is to highlight how symmetry principles can be exploited or adapted and how asymmetry can be mitigated—or even harnessed—to enhance robotic performance.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Jin Tao
Prof. Dr. Mingwei Sun
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.