Editorial: Special Issue on Safety, Security, and Rescue Robotics (SSRR)

This special issue on Safety, Security, and Rescue Robotics (SSRR) is dedicated to identifying and solving the key issues necessary to field capable, robust, and dependable robots in safety, security, and rescue missions. We welcome cutting-edge papers in the theory and practice of robotics and automation for all types of safety, security, and rescue applications such as disaster response, mitigation and recovery; rapid and secure inspection of critical infrastructure; detection of chemical, biological and radiological risks, and operations in these dangerous sites. The scope of this special issue on SSRR covers the overall design of unmanned ground, aerial, and marine robots, as well as crucial components, e.g., for advanced locomotion, and intelligent onboard functionalities up to robot team collaboration and full autonomy. We explicitly welcome contributions from the following three areas: 1) robotic systems, i.e., complete marine, aerial, or ground robots as well as their components, 2) intelligent functionalities, e.g., mapping, robot team collaboration, advanced user interfaces, software components for autonomy, and 3) applications, e.g., field reports and end user studies. Related topics include but are not limited to the following technologies: