The Robotics and Mechatronics Conference 2008 (ROBOMEC’08) was held at the “Big Hat” in Nagano, Japan, June 5-7, 2008, sponsored by the Robotics and Mechatronics Division of the Japan Society of Mechanical Engineers (JSME). Prof. Minoru Hashimoto of Shinshu University served as organizing chair, Prof. Takashi Kawamura of Shinshu University as general chair, and Hiroki Murakami of IHI Corporation as program chair. The conference motto was “Robotics and Mechatronics for Sustainable Industrial Development.” A record-breaking 1,054 papers were presented in about 70 sessions, including Nano/Micro Fluid System and Medical and Welfare Robotics and Mechatronics. Participants numbered over 1,500, making it a great success.
This special issue presents 13 papers from the conference. Of the 109 outstanding presentations recommended for submission, 42 were submitted and reviewed. Of these, 28 excellent papers have been accepted including the first 15 already published in Part 1 (Vol.21, No.2).
We thank the authors for their invaluable contributions to this issue and the reviewers for their extensive time and effort. We also thank Editor-in-Chief Prof. Tatsuo Arai of Osaka University for organizing this special issue.