Autonomous Robots

The primary goal of Autonomous Robots is to report on the theory and applications of robotic systems capable of some degree of self-sufficiency. Thus, the journal is aimed at the growing trend in robotics toward mobility, intelligence and autonomy in an unstructured world. This trend has been made possible by small, inexpensive, high-performance computers. The term `robot' implies that the systems described here are capable of performing purposeful behaviors in the real world. They obtain inputs from the world through sensors and act upon the world through actuators. The connection between sensing and actuation may be simple signal processing or it may involve complex decision making, goal interpretation and other aspects of reasoning. Most autonomous systems display some form of mobility: on land, under water, in the air or in space. The mobility may make use of wheels, legs, fins, rotors or other actuators. The focus is on the ability to move and be self-sufficient, not on whether the system is an imitation of biology. Of course, biological models for robotic systems are of major interest to the journal since living systems are prototypes for autonomous behavior.