Special Issues
 
 

Special Issue on Agricultural Robotics


Agricultural robotics faces several unique challenges and operates at the intersection of applied robotic vision, manipulation and crop science. Robotics will provide a key role in improving productivity, increasing crop quality and even enabling individualized weed and crop treatment. All these advancements are integral for providing food to a growing population expected to reach 9 billion by 2050, requiring agricultural production to double to meet food demands.


The Journal of Field Robotics (JFR) announces its third special issue on agricultural robotics. We invite papers that exhibit theory and methods applied to robotic systems in agriculture including, but not limited to:


* Vision and action for agricultural robotics coping with changes in appearance and geometry of the environment;

* Sensors and vision systems for agricultural robots including passive and active methods;

* Manipulators and platforms for harvesting, soil preparation and crop management;

* Aerial and ground robotic platforms for soil/crop monitoring, prediction, and decision making;

* Long-term autonomy and navigation in unstructured field environments;

* Automation of vertical farming, protected cropping systems, and phenotyping;

* Data analytics and real-time decision making with robots-in-the-loop;

* Low-cost sensing and algorithms for day/night operation;

* User interfaces and human-robot interaction for end-users;

* Standardised benchmarks and long-term datasets in changing agricultural environments.


We encourage contributions that focus on agriculture, covering different fields of robotics, robotic vision, autonomous vehicles, manipulation, control, path planning, human robot interaction, and machine learning. An emphasis will be placed on vision and action that works in the field by coping with changes in appearance and geometry of the environment. Learning how to interact within this complicated environment will also be of special interest to the special issue as will alternative applications enabled by better understanding and exploiting the link between robotics and crop science. Papers for this special issue must provide technical descriptions of systems, analysis, and results of experimentation. Lessons learned in development and operation are pertinent to the discussion. JFR encourages multimedia content and this issue seeks inclusion of media illustrating system concepts and field experiments.


Submission Instructions:

=======================

The submissions must conform to the JFR guidelines. This special issue will follow a rolling schedule. The papers can be submitted anytime before August 15, 2018. The papers will be reviewed and a decision made, as and when they are received. Papers that are accepted will appear online within two weeks of decision. All the accepted papers will then appear in the special print issue of JFR.


Deadlines:

=======================

  1. *October 19, 2018 - Submit manuscripts

  2. *December 1, 2018 – Initial reviews completed

* February 1, 2019 - Decisions and author notification

* March 15, 2019 - Final manuscripts for publication


Special issue guest editors:

=======================

Chris Lehnert (Queensland University of Technology), c.lehnert@qut.edu.au, Chris McCool (Queensland University of Technology), c.mccool@qut.edu.au, Inkyu Sa (ETH Zurich), Cyrill Stachniss (University of Bonn), Eldert J. van Henten (Wageningen UR), eldert.vanhenten@wur.nl, Juan Nieto (ETH Zurich), jnieto@ethz.ch


Authors interested can discuss submissions with the special issue guest editors.




Special Issue on Space Robotics


Special Issue Guest Editors: Chris Skonieczny, Daniel Szafir, Mark Woods, SciSys


Space applications present many challenges to robotic systems: from extremes of temperature, vacuum, shock and gravity, to limitations on power and communication, to requirements for reliability, robustness and autonomy.


The Journal of Field Robotics (JFR) announces its sixth special issue on space robotics to examine topics related to robots and space.  This biannual special issue will present and discuss the state of the art in space robots. 


We invite papers that exhibit theory and methods applied to robotic systems in space including:

  1. • specification and evaluation of system concepts and designs;

  2. • effects of the space environment on robotic devices;

  3. • methods of relevant sensing, actuation, and mobility;

  4. • applications in manipulation, assembly, construction and excavation;

  5. • algorithms for localization and navigation, and task or mission planning;

  6. • techniques for safe and precise orbital maneuvering and landing;

  7. • experiments conducted in space or planetary analogue settings; and

  8. • analysis of human robot interaction and robot autonomy. 


Papers for this special issue must provide technical descriptions of systems and results and analysis of experimentation.  We invite discussion and analysis of orbital robots/spacecraft and planetary rovers as well as prototype systems that have been field tested in terrestrial analogue environments.  Lessons learned in development and operation are pertinent to the discussion.


We encourage papers addressing all aspects of space robotic systems.  Our emphasis is on systems that fulfill a specific space-relevant application.  Robotic systems in Earth orbit, traveling in deep space, and operating on the surfaces of planets, moons, comets, or asteroids are of particular interest, as well systems envisioned for space application but developed and demonstrated in relevant environments here on Earth.


The JFR encourages multimedia content and this issue seeks inclusion of media illustrating system concept, experiments, and of course space operation.


Deadlines:

September 28, 2018 – Submit manuscripts

November 9, 2018 – Initial reviews completed

January 25, 2019 – Decisions and author notification

March 1, 2019 – Final manuscripts for publication


Authors interested can discuss submissions with the special issue editors




 

Current

Previous