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Electronics
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Autonomous Robots: Design, Sensing and Control
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Autonomous Robots: Design, Sensing and Control

A special issue of Electronics (ISSN 2079-9292). This special issue belongs to the section "Systems & Control Engineering".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 October 2023) | Viewed by 10440

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Monica Tiboni

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, University of Brescia, 25121 Brescia, Italy
Interests: robotics; mechatronic systems; rehabilitation robotics; mechatronic systems diagnostics and prognostics; vibration controlling; actuators; soft actuation
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Giovanni Legnani

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
1. Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, University of Brescia, 25123 Brescia, Italy
2. Institute of Intelligent Industrial Technologies and Systems for Advanced Manufacturing, National Research Council, 20133 Milan, Italy
Interests: biomechanics of human motion; rehabilitation systems; robot kinematics; dynamics; control; calibration; mechanisms kinematics and dynamics
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Dan Zhang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Lassonde School of Engineering, York University, Toronto, ON M3J 1P3, Canada
Interests: robotics and mechatronics; high-performance parallel robotic machine development; sustainable/green manufacturing systems; micro/nanomanipulation and MEMS devices (sensors); micro mobile robots and control of multi-robot cooperation; intelligent servo control system for the MEMS-based high-performance micro-robot; web-based remote manipulation; rehabilitation robot and rescue robot
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Autonomous robots, the intelligent agents par excellence, designed and engineered to deal with the environment on their own, are capable of functioning for extended periods of time without human intervention.

The development of autonomous robots employed for human service or cooperation, in medical applications, agriculture, construction, transportation, etc., must address highly complex technological and practical challenges in terms of design, sensing and control.

Motion control and real-time decisions support the intelligent operation of autonomous robots, which also require the development of sophisticated algorithms based on artificial intelligence techniques.

The implementation of vision systems, choice and positioning of sensors of different nature, analysis of signals, and fusion of data are equally fundamental for the actual realization and functioning of autonomous robots.

In this Special Issue, we aim to collect the latest research findings and innovative approaches in the field of autonomous robots, design, sensing and control. This includes but is not limited to:

  • Innovative autonomous robot design solutions;
  • Optimization algorithms for achieving dynamic planning, control, and state estimation;
  • Trajectory design for dynamic environments;
  • Learning and adaptation in robot control;
  • Novel solutions for controlling autonomous robots;
  • Autonomous robot sensing and perception;
  • Computational architectures for autonomous robots;
  • Human–robot interaction;
  • Performance analysis of autonomous robots;
  • Autonomy and energy efficiency of autonomous robots.

Dr. Monica Tiboni
Prof. Dr. Giovanni Legnani
Prof. Dr. Dan Zhang
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. Electronics 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 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

  • autonomous robots
  • mobile robots
  • humanoid robots
  • localization
  • mapping
  • navigation
  • robot sensing
  • fuzzy control
  • robot learning
  • autonomous manipulation

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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15 pages, 13512 KiB  
Article
Controlling the Crawling Speed of the Snake Robot along a Cable Based on the Hopf Oscillator
by Zhiyong Yang, Fan Wang, Jianguo Liu, Zhen Fang, Chen Tian and Daode Zhang
Electronics 2023, 12(14), 3094; https://doi.org/10.3390/electronics12143094 - 17 Jul 2023
Viewed by 1071
Abstract
To make the snake robot crawl quickly along the high-voltage cable, this paper employs the Simulated Annealing Algorithm (SAA) to find the optimal step size for the spiral-winding gait of the snake robot and improve its crawling speed along the high-voltage cable. First, [...] Read more.
To make the snake robot crawl quickly along the high-voltage cable, this paper employs the Simulated Annealing Algorithm (SAA) to find the optimal step size for the spiral-winding gait of the snake robot and improve its crawling speed along the high-voltage cable. First, a spiral-winding gait for the robot is designed based on the configuration of the snake robot and the crawling environment along the cable. Next, the double-chain Hopf oscillator is used to generate the spiral-winding gait for the snake-like robot. After that, based on the snake robot’s position, the SAA is employed to improve the crawling speed of the snake robot by finding the optimal step size of the spiral-winding gait. Finally, CoppeliaSim 4.0.0 software is used to analyze the optimization effect of the speed of the snake robot crawling along the cable. The results highlight that the maximum crawling speeds of the snake robot are 0.8868 cm/s, 0.8843 cm/s, 0.8598 cm/s, and 0.7971 cm/s, which are 18.01%, 8.16%, 11.01%, and 12.16% lower than the maximum speed obtained using the sampling fit method when the cable friction coefficients are 0.3, 0.4, 0.5, and 0.6. These simulation results verify the effectiveness of the optimized control algorithm. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Autonomous Robots: Design, Sensing and Control)
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23 pages, 15906 KiB  
Article
An Autonomous Humanoid Robot Designed to Assist a Human with a Gesture Recognition System
by Tymoteusz Lindner, Daniel Wyrwał and Andrzej Milecki
Electronics 2023, 12(12), 2652; https://doi.org/10.3390/electronics12122652 - 13 Jun 2023
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2424
Abstract
This paper presents the design of an autonomous humanoid robot designed to optimize and enrich customer service in showrooms, e.g., electronic equipment, mobile network operators, and generally in stores with various articles. The proposed humanoid robot design is distinguished by two key components: [...] Read more.
This paper presents the design of an autonomous humanoid robot designed to optimize and enrich customer service in showrooms, e.g., electronic equipment, mobile network operators, and generally in stores with various articles. The proposed humanoid robot design is distinguished by two key components: a sensor-equipped mobile platform with drives and a body featuring a head outfitted with a touch tablet and an RGBD camera. The control system enables autonomous navigation in both known and uncharted environments, with a special focus on diverse, crowded, and cluttered spaces. To enhance its adaptability, this robot is not only fitted with LIDAR sensors but also cliff and ultrasonic sensors. While the interactive ability with humans is an expected functionality, this paper brings forth certain distinct innovations in humanoid robot design for customer service. One of these unique aspects includes the robot’s ability to physically alter its configuration, such as rotating its head and adjusting the height of its torso to maintain line-of-sight with the customer. This capability signifies a novel degree of spatial responsiveness that exceeds static interaction. Moreover, the proposed robot is equipped with a user-friendly gesture recognition system, uniquely designed to detect and recognize simple human hand gestures. This attribute paves the way for understanding simple commands such as requests for assistance. Upon recognizing a request, the robot tailors its services by following the person around the showroom, effectively assisting and answering customer queries or displaying requisite information on its screen. This active assistance model, specifically tailored for human interaction, showcases the robot’s unique capability to respond proactively and dynamically to human inputs. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Autonomous Robots: Design, Sensing and Control)
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14 pages, 28115 KiB  
Article
D.O.T. PAQUITOP, an Autonomous Mobile Manipulator for Hospital Assistance
by Luigi Tagliavini, Lorenzo Baglieri, Giovanni Colucci, Andrea Botta, Carmen Visconte and Giuseppe Quaglia
Electronics 2023, 12(2), 268; https://doi.org/10.3390/electronics12020268 - 4 Jan 2023
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1875
Abstract
The use of robotic technologies for caregiving and assistance has become a very interesting research topic in the field of robotics. Towards this goal, the researchers at Politecnico di Torino are developing robotic solutions for indoor assistance. This paper presents the D.O.T. PAQUITOP [...] Read more.
The use of robotic technologies for caregiving and assistance has become a very interesting research topic in the field of robotics. Towards this goal, the researchers at Politecnico di Torino are developing robotic solutions for indoor assistance. This paper presents the D.O.T. PAQUITOP project, which aims at developing a mobile robotic assistant for the hospital environment. The mobile robot is composed of a custom omnidirectional platform, named PAQUITOP, a commercial 6 dof robotic arm, sensors for monitoring vital signs in patients, and a tablet to interact with the patient. To prove the effectiveness of this solution, preliminary tests were conducted with success in the laboratories of Politecnico di Torino and, thanks to the collaboration with the Onlus Fondazione D.O.T. and the medical staff of Molinette Hospital in Turin (Italy), at the hematology ward of Molinette Hospital. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Autonomous Robots: Design, Sensing and Control)
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Review

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26 pages, 1337 KiB  
Review
Autonomous Vehicles for Healthcare Applications: A Review on Mobile Robotic Systems and Drones in Hospital and Clinical Environments
by Paolo Marmaglio, Davide Consolati, Cinzia Amici and Monica Tiboni
Electronics 2023, 12(23), 4791; https://doi.org/10.3390/electronics12234791 - 27 Nov 2023
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 4085
Abstract
The development of autonomous vehicles, both ground and airborne, for hospitals and clinical settings is an extremely interesting topic that has developed rapidly in recent years. Given their significant potential to improve operational efficiency and safety protocols, these devices are gradually gaining an [...] Read more.
The development of autonomous vehicles, both ground and airborne, for hospitals and clinical settings is an extremely interesting topic that has developed rapidly in recent years. Given their significant potential to improve operational efficiency and safety protocols, these devices are gradually gaining an important place in the healthcare industry. This is true for both in-hospital and out-of-hospital functions. The integration of autonomous vehicles into these environments will greatly increase operational efficiency and enrich the experience for both medical staff and patients. This document provides an updated and comprehensive overview of the current state-of-the-art in the development of autonomous vehicles for the healthcare sector. Particular emphasis is placed on design, functionality, and level of autonomy. The review is organized on two levels: a prospective review highlights the main trends in the design and application of autonomous vehicles, and an analytical review performs an in-depth analysis of the main aspects of the technical solutions developed and implemented in the scientific research reviewed. The results are presented in a schematic approach. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Autonomous Robots: Design, Sensing and Control)
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