This Research Topic is the second volume in the series, the first volume can be found here;
Robotics Software Engineering

Increasingly, challenging domains employ robotic applications. Yet, Robotics still is one of the most challenging domains for software engineering. Deploying robotics applications requires integrating solutions from experts in various domains, including navigation, path planning, manipulation, localization, human-robot interaction, etc. Integration of modules contributed by respective domain experts is one of the key challenges in engineering software-centric systems, yet only one of the cross-cutting software concerns crucial to robotics. As robots often operate in dynamic, partially observable environments additional challenges include adaptability, robustness, safety, and security.

The goal of this Research Topic is to bring together researchers with practitioners to identify new frontiers in robotics software engineering, discuss challenges raised by real-world applications, and transfer the latest insights from research to industry. This Research Topic welcomes contributions from both academic and industrial participants, thus fostering active synergy between the two communities.

We seek contributions addressing, but not limited to, the following topics related to robotics software engineering:
• Analysis of challenges in robotic software engineering
• Architectures that lead to reusable robotic software
• Challenges for defining and integrating domain-specific languages for the design of robotic systems
• Continuous integration and deployment in robotics
• Identification and analysis of design principles promoting quality of service (e.g., performance, energy efficiency)
• Engineering the collaboration of multiple (heterogeneous) robots
• Machine learning for safety-critical robotic systems
• Metrics to measure non-functional properties (e.g., robustness, availability, etc.) and their application in robotic software
• Best practices in engineering robotic software
• Variability, modularity, and reusability in robotic software
• Validation and verification of robotic software
• Processes and tools supporting the engineering and development of robotic systems
• State-of-the-art research projects, innovative ideas, and field-based studies in robotic software engineering
• Lessons learned in the engineering and deployment of large-scale, real-world integrated robot

Dr Hoffmann is affiliated with XITASO GmbH IT & Software Solutions. All other Topic Editors declare no competing interests with regard to the Research Topic subject.

This Research Topic is linked with the 8th international workshop on Robotics Software Engineering (RoSE 2026), this year co-located with the 2026 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA 2026), the IEEE Robotics and Automation Society’s flagship conference. Any contributions presented at the workshop must be extended to contain 30% original content. However, this Research Topic welcomes relevant contributions that were not presented at the workshop.

Are you interested in contributing a manuscript to this Research Topic?

Robotics Software Engineering Vol. 2