Special Issue on Humancentric Robotic Technology and its Applications for Coexistence with Humans

In today’s super-aging society, it is essential to maintain and improve the quality of life of the elderly and to counter the shortage of young workers. Such problems are becoming evident in several areas, not just in the manufacturing sector but also in the fields of transport/mobility and healthcare/welfare. In these fields, there is an abundance of situations that cannot be solved simply by replacing human workers with robots. In the manufacturing sector, for instance, the transmission of skills and knowledge is threatened as the members of the baby boomer generation, who have both knowledge and experience, have reached retirement age at a time when the younger population is declining. Another example is the provision of care with human warmth at nursing sites. As we evolve toward Society 5.0, which is represented by a digital transformation and which encompasses elements such as digital twins, it will be critical to pioneer robotic technologies that allow robots to work with humans to achieve a prosperous coexistence and create an affluent society. For this special issue, which features humancentric robotic systems coexisting and working together with humans, we invited researchers to submit papers covering a wide range of topics, including element technologies as well as operating and evaluation methods. This special issue on Humancentric Robotic Technology and its Applications for Coexistence with Humans includes two review papers, 29 regular papers, and two development reports that cover the following topics. • Research on rehabilitation equipment and training systems • Research on power assist and support actuators • Research on human-robot interaction systems • Research on motor characteristics and the musculoskeletal system • Research on the utilization and development of vital signs and sensors • Research on IoT technology and smart technologies We thank all authors and reviewers of the papers, as well as the Editorial Board of the Journal of Robotics and Mechatronics, for their help with this special issue.