Journal of Applied Robotics and Artificial Intelligence
Aims & Scope
The subject areas the journal considers, what makes a contribution central to them, and the evidence a claim is expected to carry.
- Peer reviewed
- Open access
- CC BY 4.0
The field
One applied field, read from the title
The journal’s remit follows its name. Robotics and artificial intelligence are treated as a single applied field: the physical systems that sense, decide and act, the computational methods that drive them, and the work that joins the two.
That reading is deliberate. The published record shows what has appeared so far; the domains below set out what the journal considers. Work is welcome across them whether the system is a manipulator, a vehicle, an instrument or a model of one.
Robotics and artificial intelligence are considered together. A manuscript may focus on robotics, applied artificial intelligence, or their intersection. Robotics work must advance a robotic system or its underlying methods; stand-alone AI work must advance a defined application, task, or decision system. Theoretical and methodological work qualifies when its applied relevance is explicit.
Domains
Subject areas the journal considers
Each domain below is read broadly. Experimental, computational, theoretical, methodological and engineering contributions are all in scope, and so are systems papers and evaluation studies.
Perception and sensing
Vision, depth, tactile and multimodal sensing, and the calibration, fusion and interpretation that turn sensor data into usable state.
Manipulation and mechanism design
Grasping, dexterous manipulation, actuation, compliance, force control and the mechanisms that carry them.
Autonomy, navigation and coordination
Localization, mapping, motion and task planning, and the coordination of multiple agents or vehicles.
Learning, reasoning and decision-making
Machine learning, reinforcement learning, representation, inference and planning methods for embodied and decision-making systems.
Human and robot interaction
Teleoperation, shared autonomy, interfaces, and the human factors of working alongside an automated system.
Modeling, simulation and visualization
Geometric and physical modeling, simulation environments, digital twins and the visual presentation of computed results.
Reliability, safety and verification
Testing, validation, fault tolerance, uncertainty quantification and the assurance practices applied systems require.
Applications across sectors
Industrial, field, service, environmental, infrastructure, assistive and biomedical settings where robotics or artificial intelligence carries the contribution.
Boundary
What makes a contribution central
Subject eligibility turns on whether robotics or applied artificial intelligence carries the contribution, not on the sector in which the work is situated.
Central
The robotic system, the learning or reasoning method for a defined application, or the model of either is what the work contributes. Change it and the result changes.
Incidental
Ordinary software, an off-the-shelf statistical package or routine automation is used as a tool, and the contribution belongs to another field.
Evidence follows the claim
The evidence a manuscript needs is the evidence its own claim requires. A control method demonstrated on hardware, a planner evaluated in simulation, a learning method assessed on real data and a proof about a system’s behavior are each appropriate to their own arguments. The journal does not impose a single universal test across them.
Where a manuscript makes a clinical, safety or deployment claim, that claim carries the evidence appropriate to it. Where it makes no such claim, none is required.
Forms
Manuscript types the journal accepts
The journal accepts the manuscript types below. The type does not change how a submission is assessed for scope.
- Research Article
- Review Article
- Systematic Review and Meta-analysis
- Methods/Algorithm Article
- Data/Benchmark/Resource Article
- Technical Note
- Short Communication
- Application/Case Study
Editorial and Perspective/Commentary articles are published by invitation only.
How a submission is assessed
All submissions undergo initial editorial screening. Manuscripts that meet the journal's scope and minimum requirements proceed to independent peer review.
Single-blind by default; double-blind review is available on request.
Manuscripts that proceed to external peer review are normally evaluated by at least two independent subject-matter experts.
Editorial decisions are based on scope, scientific quality, methodological rigor, ethical compliance, reporting quality, and relevance to the journal.
Decisions remain independent of fees, services, memberships, and editorial or reviewer roles.
Next
Where to go from here
- Instructions for AuthorsHow to prepare and format a manuscript.
- Submit PaperThe routes by which a manuscript reaches the journal.
- Call for PapersWhat the journal is inviting, and how to respond.
- About the JournalWhat the journal is for, who reads it and who is accountable.
- ArchiveEvery issue and article the journal has published.
- Editorial PoliciesEthics, corrections, conflicts of interest and research integrity.
Authors unsure whether a manuscript fits the journal are welcome to describe it to the editorial office at [email protected] before submitting.