Design and Control of Connected and Autonomous Machines

Dear Colleagues,

Control systems play a critical role in connected and autonomous systems, managing functions such as information sensing, communication, processing, and real-time decision making. Designing efficient control systems for these machines is a significant focus in both academic research and industry.

For effective real-time decision making, control systems must promptly sense new environmental information. These data often arrive in large volumes, requiring ultra-reliable and low-delay transmissions. Thus, control systems must access networks and collaborate with other systems for efficient data transmission.

Safety is paramount in autonomous systems. Therefore, collected information must be processed considering various Quality of Service and accuracy requirements. This ensures critical decisions rely on reliable and accurate data, enhancing overall system safety. Autonomous decision making, based on processed information, is essential for the effective operation of these systems. Control systems must analyze data, interpret results, and make decisions autonomously, enabling seamless operation without human intervention.

In summary, efficient control systems for connected and autonomous machines require capabilities for real-time sensing, reliable data transmission, adaptive information processing, and autonomous decision making to ensure safe and effective operation in various environments.

This Special Issue aims to publish new research and review articles focusing on control theories, communication methods, applications, and practical implementations relevant to designing control systems for connected and autonomous vehicles. This Special Issue includes the following topics:

• System architecture, simulation, and test beds for control systems of connected and autonomous systems.
• Communication mechanisms in control systems for connected and autonomous systems.
• Edge computing and edge–cloud collaboration schemes in control systems for connected and autonomous systems.
• Workspace environment monitoring and real-time risk detection algorithms in control systems for connected and autonomous systems.
• Multi-agent reinforcement learning and distributed machine learning schemes in control systems for connected and autonomous systems.
• Integrated sensing, communications, and computing schemes in control systems for connected and autonomous systems.
• Privacy and security protection for connected and autonomous systems.
• Digital twin-empowered intelligent connected and autonomous systems.
• Machine learning approaches to the identification and/or control of autonomous machines.

Dr. Domenico Bianchi
Guest Editor

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. Machines is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly 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.

• connected and autonomous machines
• control system
• wireless communication
• safety