The Journal of Intelligent and Robotic Systems (JINT) publishes peer-reviewed and original, invited, survey and review papers. These papers should promote and disseminate scientific knowledge and information in the fields of system theory, control systems, distributed systems, bioengineering, robotics and automation, human-robot interaction, human-machine interfaces and interaction, robot ethics, social and service robotics, medical robotics, mechatronics, unmanned systems, multi-robot teams and networked swarms, machine intelligence, learning, system autonomy, cyber physical systems, and other related areas in which cutting edge technologies have been developed and applied to model, design, build and test complex engineering and autonomous systems. A major focus of JINT is system autonomy, levels of autonomy and metrics to measure autonomy as integral ingredients of designing and building high-confidence systems. JINT is the only peer-reviewed journal putting emphasis on system ‘intelligence’ and ‘intelligent behavior’ as desirable attributes of system design, which subsequently leads to semi- or fully- autonomous systems that operate in dynamic and uncertain environments. Coupled with the quest for autonomy and autonomous operation of Unmanned Systems that has taken center stage in research and development, JINT welcomes archive and original papers on ‘design for autonomy’, as well as on efficient human-machine interfaces that reduce the operator workload.

Recognizing the importance of Unmanned Systems (or Unmanned Vehicle Systems, UVS) for both civilian/public domain and military applications, JINT includes a special section in each issue devoted to Unmanned Systems. The focus is on all four classes of aerial, ground, sea-surface and underwater vehicles, which share the common characteristic of the absence of an on-board human vehicle operator. As Unmanned Systems have seen unprecedented levels of growth over the last twenty years, and they are expected to dominate future applications in diverse domains, JINT is at the forefront of reporting scientific breakthroughs in this highly expanding and challenging area. To be more specific, the purpose of the special section in Unmanned Systems goes beyond traditional navigation and control challenges, aiming at offering opportunities to publish original research in see-and-avoid, sense-detect-and-avoid systems, robust, resilient and fault-tolerant control systems, prognostics and diagnostics, autonomy, manned-unmanned swarms and multi-robot teams, formation control, network-controlled systems, manned-unmanned aviation, integration of unmanned aviation into the national airspace and futuristic designs, among other topics.

Moreover, when focusing on unmanned aviation and unmanned aircraft systems (UASs), JINT offers a unique forum and advantage, second to none, because it encourages original contributions referring and related to: unmanned aviation airworthiness; unmanned aviation policies, procedures and regulations; certification issues; operational constraints; UAS safety, security and risk analysis assessment; UAS reliability; operational frequency management; legal, ethical and privacy issues, and, technology standardization. All these topics are of paramount importance, and some of them serve as prerequisites to the timely and orderly integration of unmanned aircraft systems (UASs) into the national airspace.

JINT covers the whole technical spectrum from the conceptual level to potential product development. It publishes original, archival, peer reviewed contributions from the initial idea to theory, to simulation, to validation and verification, to experimentation, to prototyping, to testing, to implementation and refinement, to final product development and commercialization. It provides a unique forum that bridges gaps between the diverse disciplines of system theory, mathematics, computer science, artificial intelligence and engineering, extending to the matured field of soft computing, as well as to the field of computational intelligence and cognitive sciences, all necessary components of modern intelligent systems, robotics, unmanned vehicle systems, mechatronics and modern manufacturing. JINT provides a unique medium to present/discuss future directions in advanced control technology and applications, intelligent and autonomous systems, computational intelligence, computational methods for system design, handling and incorporating uncertainty in system design and control, novel and cutting edge technologies as applied to complex systems including mechatronic systems and unmanned vehicle systems.

JINT lays the foundation for a common framework for publication of ideas, derivation and testing of techniques that combine theory, science, engineering and mathematics, leading to future innovations and novel technologies.

On the theoretical side, papers focusing on intelligent systems engineering, distributed intelligence systems, multi-level systems, intelligent control, multi-robot systems, control, cooperation and coordination of unmanned vehicle systems, biologically inspired robotics and swarms, outlining new concepts and approaches in their related fields are equally welcome.

On the application side, emphasis is given to autonomous systems, industrial robotic systems, multi-robot systems, aerial vehicles, mobile robot platforms, sea-surface vehicles, underwater robots, sensors, sensor-fusion, sensor-based control, focusing on sensory control problems. Papers on real applications of intelligent and robotic systems (mechatronics, manufacturing systems, biomedical systems, underwater, humanoid, mobile/legged robot and space applications, etc.) are most welcome.

The journal aims at bridging the gap between theory and practice, and intends to stimulate interaction between faculty, researchers, engineers and practitioners from academia, industry and government focusing on theoretical and applied research in all areas of intelligent systems and robotics.

    Bridges the gap between theory and practice in all areas of intelligent systems and robotics, with a focus on unmanned systems
    Publishes findings from initial concept and theory to prototyping to final product development and commercialization
    Combines theory, science, engineering and mathematics, leading to future innovations and cutting-edge technologies
    100% of authors who answered a survey reported that they would definitely publish or probably publish in the journal again