Advances in Industrial Robotics

Industrial robotics has advanced significantly in recent years with novel control strategies and the emergence of new sensor technologies, collaborative robots, and mobile robotic manipulators. These robots are highly effective in high-volume, low-mix manufacturing scenarios, products designed for automation, or easy-to-automate maintenance and monitoring tasks. However, these applications often require a well-calibrated environment, can be challenging to program and redeploy, and are underutilized in partially organized or dynamic environments. Despite their evolving capabilities, optimizing operational conditions, executing complex tasks, improving reconfigurability, enhancing human-robot interaction, and simplifying programming remain ongoing challenges in the field. Recent studies have shown promising results in adapting commercial hardware for complex tasks, utilizing novel sensor technologies, and developing flexible manufacturing systems with mobile robotic manipulators. However, there is still a need for more comprehensive research to address these challenges and fully harness the potential of industrial robotics.

This Research Topic aims to present cutting-edge developments in industrial, collaborative, and mobile robotics within the manufacturing, maintenance, and monitoring contexts. The main objectives include exploring effective adaptations of commercial hardware to perform complex tasks, leveraging novel sensor technologies, developing flexible manufacturing systems using mobile robotic manipulators, and advancing human-robot collaboration techniques. Additionally, the research will focus on human-to-robot skill transfer procedures, the exploitation of machine learning algorithms such as natural language processing for simplified robot programming, advanced path planning, and the development of novel or bespoke end-of-arm tooling. By addressing these objectives, the research aims to overcome existing challenges and push the boundaries of what is possible in industrial robotics.

To gather further insights into the advancements and applications of industrial robotics, we welcome articles addressing, but not limited to, the following themes:
- Advances in industrial robots, collaborative robots, and mobile robotic manipulators.
- Novel control strategies and human-to-robot skill transfer techniques.
- Safe human-robot interaction.
- Experimental evaluation and benchmarking of commercial or prototype robotic hardware.
- Advanced object detection, localization, and calibration strategies.
- State-of-the-art robot programming techniques.
- Novel path planning and obstacle avoidance techniques.
- Simulation to real machine learning and transfer techniques.
- Novel end-effectors and adaptive grippers.

Article types and fees

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Data Report
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• FAIR² DATA Direct Submission
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Original Research
• ... View all formats

Articles that are accepted for publication by our external editors following rigorous peer review incur a publishing fee charged to Authors, institutions, or funders.

Article types

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Data Report
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• FAIR² DATA Direct Submission
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Original Research
• Perspective
• Review
• Systematic Review

Keywords: Industrial robotics, Collaborative robotics, Mobile robotic manipulators, Advanced manufacturing, High-value manufacturing, Inspection, Monitoring and Maintenance

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.