Special Issue on Fluid Powered System and its Application

Abstract

It is well known that fluid-powered systems are used practically in almost all industrial fields, including construction, manufacturing, transportation, among others. Nowadays, the rapid growth in the development of the mechanical elements in fluid-powered systems, such as control valves, actuators, and sensors, and the rapid growth in control strategies have given rise to pioneering in some novel application fields in ways that were thought to be impossible a decade ago. High-precision positioning control using the compressible fluid of pneumatic driving systems and multi-legged robots equipped with standalone hydraulic components are simple examples. Moreover, soft robotics based on fluid-powered technologies has attracted attention not only in academia but also in human support fields, which will become more important as Japan’s society ages. This special issue on “Fluid Powered System and its Application” includes one review paper and 22 other interesting papers related to the state of the art in the development of mechanical elements, total drive systems, motion control theory, and concrete applications of fluid-powered systems. We thank all of the authors and reviewers of the papers and hope this special issue helps readers to develop fluid powered systems that will contribute to developments in the academia and industry.