Recent technological advancements have expanded the range of applications and possibilities for industrial robots.

Therefore, this special issue focuses on a wide range of topics, from reports of successful practical applications to ambitious proposals that could have a significant impact on the field in the future. These topics concern the automation of manual work, such as material handling in factories, logistics, commercial facilities, and public facilities, as well as elemental technologies and system integration for new work methods, such as collaboration and remote operation.

Specifically, this issue contains 20 papers. These include studies on elemental technologies, including traditional technologies such as sensing, computer vision, grasping, manipulation, mechatronics, control methods, robot hands, mechanisms, and robot programming; application technologies for the automation of picking and assembling; and proposals for the future with challenging technologies such as human-machine interaction, virtual reality, cyber-physical systems, foundation models, deep learning, soft robotics, systems integration, humanoids, and new automation system applications.

The editors hope that all readers will enjoy the selected papers. They would also be pleased if they could expand this topic area and promote further contributions inspired by this issue, and thank the authors and reviewers for their dedicated time and effort.

We are pleased to announce that the 17th Journal of Robotics and Mechatronics Best Paper Award (JRM Best Paper Award 2024) has been decided by the JRM editorial committee. The following paper won the JRM Best Paper Award 2024, severely selected from among all 148 papers published in Vol.35 (2023). The Best Paper Award ceremony was held on December 24, 2024 in hybrid style (both on-site and online; venue: Gakushikaikan, Tokyo, Japan), attended by the authors and JRM editorial committee members who took part in the selection process. The award winners were given certificates and a JPY100,000 honorarium. Editorial committee members who participated online also congratulated them. We congratulate the winners and sincerely wish them success in the future.

Title: Development of an Ankle Assistive Robot with Instantly Gait-Adaptive Method

Authors: Ming-Yang Xu, Yi-Fan Hua, Yun-Fan Li, Jyun-Rong Zhuang, Keisuke Osawa, Kei Nakagawa, Hee-Hyol Lee, Louis Yuge, and Eiichiro Tanaka

Journal of Robotics and Mechatronics, Vol.35, No.3, pp. 669-683, June 2023

Research on various types of soft robots has been conducted recently. Soft robots with flexible mechanisms are expected to contribute significantly to the development of robotics, not only in industrial applications but also in various other applications, such as those involving robot-human interactions. Flexible mechanisms cannot necessarily be realized using flexible materials alone; they can also be realized by adopting new approaches to conventional mechanisms. It is also desirable for sensors and other components to be flexible so that they do not reduce the flexibility of the mechanism. The development of these mechanisms and elemental technologies will lead to further development of soft robots.

This special issue will feature papers on the structures and applications of soft mechanisms and elements as well as on design and analysis methods and control techniques.

Snake-like robots have elongated, snake-like bodies. Because of their long and thin shapes, snake-like robots are expected to play different roles than those occupied by other types of robots. For example, snake-like robots can be used to inspect pipes or search for victims at disaster sites. Many studies have focused on the biomimetics, mechanisms, modeling, analysis, control, navigation, sensing, and localization of snake-like robots, and many efforts have been aimed at their industrialization.

This special issue includes a wide range of research and development results from the fields of robotics and mechatronics for snake-like robots and similar elongated, hyper-redundant robots, such as hyper-redundant manipulators, salamander robots, and other articulated mobile robots.

Aerial robot technologies, such as drones and unmanned aerial vehicles, are rapidly advancing in various domains. These robots now possess enhanced autonomous flying abilities and use sensor technology, Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS), Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) system, and cameras to avoid obstacles, automatically land, and track flights. Evolving technologies in airspace management and route optimization ensure that flights are efficient and safe. Aerial robots have a wide range of applications, such as agriculture, disaster response, environmental monitoring, and inspection. These devices excel at precise data collection thanks to their high-resolution cameras and high-precision sensors. Swarm robotics, which allows collaboration between multiple aerial and ground robots, is also progressing. This enables quick coverage of large areas, which benefits disaster relief and land management. In addition, research and development of flying robots modeled after flying animals is underway. The evolution of aerial robots results in their efficient use in a variety of fields and new applications.

This special issue includes the latest research papers and development reports on aerial robotic technology from the aforementioned perspectives. We hope that this special issue will pique researchers’ and engineers’ interest in aerial robots, thereby encouraging additional research and development. Finally, we would like to express our gratitude to all authors, all reviewers, the editorial board of the Journal of Robotics and Mechatronics, and Fuji Technology Press Ltd.

Robotics, mechatronics, and digital technologies are advancing significantly in sports, exercise, and healthcare, and offer innovative solutions that shape the future of these fields. In Part 2 of this special issue, we examine independent research and cutting-edge developments that address new challenges and provide unique contributions to these domains.

Technological advancements in assistive devices and rehabilitation offer new solutions for improving the quality of life of individuals with physical challenges. Researchers of wearable assistive devices and prosthetics continue to devise methods to enhance mobility and support physical functions, thereby benefiting both users and healthcare providers.

Sports and motion analysis remains a key focus area, where innovative technologies are employed to analyze and improve athletic performance. By capturing and evaluating detailed movement data, these technologies can help athletes refine their techniques and achieve greater precision in their sports, thus ultimately resulting in enhanced performance and injury prevention.

As in Part 1, the studies presented in this issue demonstrate the practical applications of cutting-edge technologies and offer insights into their future potential. We hope that these contributions will inspire researchers and practitioners alike and provide a foundation for continued advancements in these exciting and impactful fields.

Robotics, mechatronics, and digital technologies are rapidly advancing in the fields of sports, exercise, and healthcare, and their applications are expanding daily. In part 1 of our special issue, we focus on the innovative contributions of cutting-edge technologies in various domains.

Robotics technology is crucial in sports and exercise training as it monitors individual movements and forms, provides user feedback, and enables effective training. The development of robots to enhance the accuracy and reproducibility of sports techniques is a key element directly linked to performance improvements.

Robotics and mechatronics provide new possibilities for treatment and rehabilitation in healthcare. Developing beneficial systems for medical professionals and patients contributes to increased precision in surgery and productive support in rehabilitation.

Power assistance and motion augmentation are witnessing advancements that prolong individual capabilities and achieve better performance. These studies may reduce the physical burden of daily activities and specific tasks, thereby enhancing efficiency.

Therefore, studies on haptics and sensory feedback are important. Efforts to improve user interfaces through virtual haptic experiences represent a promising new application of digital technology.

The studies included in part 1 of this special issue present recent technological trends and practical examples of sports, exercise, and healthcare and aim to provide valuable information and inspire the readers. We hope that these studies will serve as significant steps toward future technological advancement and social implementation.

“Multi-agent systems (MAS)” have been extensively studied across various fields, including robotics, economics, biology, and computer science. A distinctive feature of these systems is the ability of multiple agents, each with different characteristics, to perform system-wide tasks through local bottom-up interactions. Furthermore, design and control methods for system networks based on graph theory are being developed. Recent applications of these methods include autonomous driving technology, smart grids, and understanding social systems.

This special issue aims to deepen the understanding of MAS, focusing on their control and applications. It features 16 papers, including one review paper. The accepted papers cover a wide range of topics, including reinforcement learning, autonomous mobility systems, and machine learning, presenting the latest research findings on MAS.

These studies provide valuable insights into various aspects and potential applications of MAS. We hope that this issue will be beneficial to our readers and contribute to the advancement of future research.

In recent years, the labor shortage caused by the decline in the working-age population has become increasingly severe across various industries. The construction industry is also facing an urgent situation. Improving productivity is critical in response to this situation. In addition, domestic infrastructure is aging, and climate-change-related incidents such as heavy rainfall and landslides are becoming more common on a global scale. To address these challenges, digital transformation (DX) deployment must be accelerated, and robotic technologies must be efficiently utilized.

Although various construction robot technologies have been developed to date, the robotization of construction and inspection work cannot be achieved using standalone technologies, regardless of their technological superiority. Today’s construction robots must function not only as standalone tools but also as part of a system integrated into construction and inspection methods, or even as a robotic system that operates throughout the construction site.

From this perspective, we published a special issue titled “Advanced Robotic Technology and System for DX in Construction Industry.” It includes papers and development reports on robotics, mechatronics, and information system technologies relevant to the construction industry.

We hope that this special issue will arouse interest in construction robots among researchers and engineers and accelerate the development of construction robots, related technologies, and DX in the construction industry.

Finally, we express our sincere gratitude to the editorial board of the Journal of Robotics and Mechatronics, the editorial team at Fuji Technology Press Ltd., and all of the reviewers.

The Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant accident, triggered by the Great East Japan Earthquake and the tsunami, has had a major impact on societies across the world. The subsequent focus on decommissioning efforts has attracted worldwide attention. It has been consistently asserted since the aftermath of the accident that the decommissioning of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant will take approximately 30 to 40 years. The promotion of decommissioning work means that we will continue to face the problems with uncertainties in the work, as sometimes referred to as Unknown Unknowns.

Typical elemental technologies required in remotely operated robotic systems for decommissioning include mobile mechanisms and their control, handling mechanisms and their control, information communication, operation interface (information presentation and command input), shielding (radiation resistance) and so on. Although many tasks using remotely operated robotic systems have been carried out with noteworthy results, there are lingering issues yet to be clarified. To ensure the safe and effective execution of various types of decommissioning tasks over a period of several decades, continuous research and development of each elemental technology are imperative, and these technologies must be integrated into a system appropriately to the assumed tasks. In addition, human resource development and the transfer of knowledge and experience are also important issues.

From such viewpoint, this special issue is titled “Robotic, Mechatronic and Information Systems for Decommissioning.” It contains papers and development reports on robotics, mechatronics, information processing, and information systems technologies relevant to decommissioning work. It also features recent activities of nuclear emergency response organizations.

We hope this special issue will acquaint readers with the latest research and development results and organizational activities related to decommissioning. At the same time, we hope that we were able to provide readers interested in robots, mechatronics, and information technology with an opportunity t...<more>

The Tsukuba Challenge and the Nakanoshima Robot Challenge are both technical challenges in which mobile robots run autonomously in real outdoor environments. They have been held almost every year since 2007 and 2018, respectively, and many robots have participated in these public experiments. The autonomous navigation of a mobile robot in the real world, that is, not on test tracks but in environments normally used by everyday people, poses a great many challenges. The robots have to deal with environments that change with the time of day, the weather, the season, etc., and they have to deal with unexpected stationary obstacles as well as moving ones, including people, bicycles, etc. These days, demonstration tests of delivery robots are being conducted in many places, but there are still many problems that need to be solved. In this special issue, we have gathered papers detailing the insights gained from running mobile robots in the two outdoor experiments, the Tsukuba Challenge and the Nakanoshima Robot Challenge. To run a robot with a high success rate in a real environment, it is very important to devise the robot configuration, the sensor data processing, and the behavior control based on the knowledge gained from many experiences. We hope that sharing the successes and failures in the papers in this special issue will lead to further technological improvements in the future.

A Micro Electro-Mechanical System (MEMS) is a micro-sized mechatronic device based on semiconductor integrated-circuit manufacturing technology. MEMS technology is inherently a very powerful tool for researchers to manipulate and measure the microscopic biological components of biological tissues since their basic constituent units, cells and intracellular microstructures, are also micron or even submicron in size.

MEMS technology applied to medicine and life sciences is called Bio-MEMS. Many Bio-MEMS devices and technologies have been developed in recent years, including microfluidic devices for cell culture, manipulation, and measurement, as well as lab-on-a-chip devices for chemical reactions and analyses on MEMS devices.

This special issue consists of 13 papers: 1 review article, 1 letter, and 11 research papers. These papers include studies on mechanical stress on cells using MEMS devices, the control of cell functions through microfabrication techniques, cell measurement and in vivo microenvironment simulation using microfluidic devices, and basic research on wearable devices and self-assembling microstructures using MEMS technologies. The editorial committee members are confident that this special issue will make a significant contribution to the further development of Bio-MEMS.

We sincerely appreciate the excellent contributions of the authors and the time and effort of the reviewers. We would also like to thank the editorial board of the Journal of Robotics and Mechatronics for their support of this special issue.

In biological and social systems, a “swarm” refers to a group of individual units that behave as a single intelligent entity. “Swarm behavior,” the collective result of the local interactions among the group members, exhibits what is called “swarm intelligence.” By identifying the design principles of such swarm intelligence, we may be able to create swarm robots that are highly adaptable, fault tolerant, and dimensionally flexible.

An interdisciplinary approach, including disciplines ranging from technology to biology to the mathematical sciences, for example, is used to elucidate the design principles of swarm intelligence. We believe that such knowledge will lead to transformations in the field of swarm robotics.

This special issue highlights 19 exciting papers, including 13 research papers, five review papers, and one letter. Some papers focus on understanding the mechanism of real swarm phenomena, while the other papers focus on designing intelligent swarm systems. The keywords of the papers are as follows.

• Swarm intelligence

• Interdisciplinary approach

• Decentralized control

• Swarm robot

• Collective behavior

We would like to express our gratitude to all authors and reviewers, and we hope that this special issue contributes to future research and development in swarm intelligence.

In today’s super-aging society, it is essential to maintain and improve the quality of life of the elderly and to counter the shortage of young workers. Such problems are becoming evident in several areas, not just in the manufacturing sector but also in the fields of transport/mobility and healthcare/welfare. In these fields, there is an abundance of situations that cannot be solved simply by replacing human workers with robots. In the manufacturing sector, for instance, the transmission of skills and knowledge is threatened as the members of the baby boomer generation, who have both knowledge and experience, have reached retirement age at a time when the younger population is declining. Another example is the provision of care with human warmth at nursing sites. As we evolve toward Society 5.0, which is represented by a digital transformation and which encompasses elements such as digital twins, it will be critical to pioneer robotic technologies that allow robots to work with humans to achieve a prosperous coexistence and create an affluent society. For this special issue, which features humancentric robotic systems coexisting and working together with humans, we invited researchers to submit papers covering a wide range of topics, including element technologies as well as operating and evaluation methods.

This special issue on Humancentric Robotic Technology and its Applications for Coexistence with Humans includes two review papers, 29 regular papers, and two development reports that cover the following topics.

• Research on rehabilitation equipment and training systems

• Research on power assist and support actuators

• Research on human-robot interaction systems

• Research on motor characteristics and the musculoskeletal system

• Research on the utilization and development of vital signs and sensors

• Research on IoT technology and smart technologies

We thank all authors and reviewers of the papers, as well as the Editorial Board of the Journal of Robotics and Mechatronics, for their help with this special issue.