Special Issue on wearable sensors and actuators for robotics

Introduction:

Robotics has traditionally been dominated by rigid, industrial machines operating in confined, structured environments. Now, a transformative shift is underway towards robotics that integrate with humans, augmenting their physical and cognitive capabilities in everyday life. This evolution is driven by advances in wearable sensors and actuators, which form the core technological enablers for a new generation of collaborative and assistive robotic systems.

This special issue is dedicated to exploring the breakthroughs, challenges, and future directions in this interdisciplinary field. It will encompass a broad spectrum of research focused on the design, development, and application of wearable technologies for robotics. Key areas of interest include, but are not limited to:

• Novel soft and flexible sensor technologies for precise measurement of kinematic, kinetic, and physiological signals;
• Advanced wearable actuation systems such as soft exosuits, haptic feedback devices, and electroactive polymer-based mechanisms;
• Intelligent sensor fusion algorithms and machine learning techniques for robust human action recognition and intent prediction; and
• Development of closed-loop human-robot interaction (HRI) frameworks that leverage wearable data for adaptive and responsive robotic control.

We also welcome contributions on integrated system design, power management, ergonomic considerations, and real-world validation in applications ranging from healthcare and rehabilitation to industrial collaboration, training, and entertainment.

Topics covered:

• Materials and fabrication techniques for wearables sensors and actuators
• Electronic skins and the wearable applications
• Haptic sensing and feedback
• Wearable assistant technologies
• Human-robot interaction
• Overview of wearable sensors and actuators: principles, design, fabrication, challenges and future directions

Submission Instructions:

Please read the Guide for Authors  before submitting. All articles should be submitted online, please select “VSI-Wearable Sensors and actuators for robotics” on submission.

Important Deadlines:

• Submission deadline: 30 June, 2026.

Guest Editors:

• Prof. Junwen Zhong, University of Macau, Macau SAR, China. Email: junwenzhong@um.edu.mo
• Prof. Iek Man Lei, University of Macau, Macau SAR, China. Email: ieklei@um.edu.mo
• Prof. Yuan Ma, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong SAR, China. Email: y.ma@polyu.edu.hk
• Prof. Qiguang He, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China. Email: qghe@mae.cuhk.edu.hk