<html><body><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;
text-align:justify"><span style=""><span class="font" style="font-family:"Times New Roman", serif"></span></span></p><div>Dear
Colleagues,<br></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;
text-align:justify"><span style=""><span class="font" style="font-family:"Times New Roman", serif"></span></span></p><div>We are
excited to announce a Special Issue of MDPI Drones titled "Visual Language
Models and Large Language Models for Unmanned Aerial Vehicles," with a
submission deadline of 31 December 2024. We invite you to contribute your
research to this Special Issue, which aims to explore the integration of Visual
Language Models (VLMs) and Large Language Models (LLMs) into UAVs.<br></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;
text-align:justify"><span style=""><span class="font" style="font-family:"Times New Roman", serif"></span></span></p><div>Link: <a href="https://www.mdpi.com/journal/drones/special_issues/NXAHUFC2BP" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://www.mdpi.com/journal/drones/special_issues/NXAHUFC2BP</a><br></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;
text-align:justify;mso-outline-level:3"><span style=""><span class="font" style="font-family:"Times New Roman", serif"><span class="size" style="font-size:13.5pt"></span></span></span></p><div>Special Issue Information<br></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;
text-align:justify"><span style=""><span class="font" style="font-family:"Times New Roman", serif"></span></span></p><div>The rapid
advancements in artificial intelligence, particularly in the domains of
computer vision and natural language processing, have created new possibilities
for enhancing the capabilities of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs). This Special
Issue focuses on the application, challenges, and future directions of
integrating VLMs and LLMs into UAVs.<br></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;
text-align:justify"><span style=""><span class="font" style="font-family:"Times New Roman", serif"></span></span></p><div>Visual
Language Models have demonstrated remarkable performance in tasks such as
object detection, image captioning, and visual question answering, enabling
UAVs to perceive and understand their surroundings with unprecedented accuracy
and efficiency. Large Language Models, on the other hand, have shown impressive
capabilities in natural language understanding, generation, and reasoning.
Incorporating LLMs into UAVs can facilitate seamless human–machine interaction,
enabling users to control and communicate with drones using natural language
commands.<br></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;
text-align:justify;mso-outline-level:3"><span style=""><span class="font" style="font-family:"Times New Roman", serif"><span class="size" style="font-size:13.5pt"></span></span></span></p><div>Topics of Interest<br></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;
text-align:justify"><span style=""><span class="font" style="font-family:"Times New Roman", serif"></span></span></p><div>We
welcome original research articles, review papers, and case studies on the
following topics (but not limited to):<br></div><p></p><ul type="disc"><li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;
text-align:justify;mso-list:l1 level1 lfo1;tab-stops:list 36.0pt"><span style=""><span class="font" style="font-family:"Times New Roman", serif"><div>Object detection and tracking using VLMs in
UAVs<br></div></span></span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;
text-align:justify;mso-list:l1 level1 lfo1;tab-stops:list 36.0pt"><span style=""><span class="font" style="font-family:"Times New Roman", serif"><div>Semantic segmentation and scene understanding
for enhanced UAV navigation<br></div></span></span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;
text-align:justify;mso-list:l1 level1 lfo1;tab-stops:list 36.0pt"><span style=""><span class="font" style="font-family:"Times New Roman", serif"><div>Visual question answering and visual dialog
systems for UAV–human interaction<br></div></span></span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;
text-align:justify;mso-list:l1 level1 lfo1;tab-stops:list 36.0pt"><span style=""><span class="font" style="font-family:"Times New Roman", serif"><div>Natural language processing techniques for UAV
mission planning and execution<br></div></span></span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;
text-align:justify;mso-list:l1 level1 lfo1;tab-stops:list 36.0pt"><span style=""><span class="font" style="font-family:"Times New Roman", serif"><div>Integration of VLMs and LLMs for autonomous
UAV decision making<br></div></span></span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;
text-align:justify;mso-list:l1 level1 lfo1;tab-stops:list 36.0pt"><span style=""><span class="font" style="font-family:"Times New Roman", serif"><div>Few-shot learning and transfer learning
approaches for adapting VLMs and LLMs to UAV-specific tasks<br></div></span></span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;
text-align:justify;mso-list:l1 level1 lfo1;tab-stops:list 36.0pt"><span style=""><span class="font" style="font-family:"Times New Roman", serif"><div>Efficient deployment of VLMs and LLMs on
resource-constrained UAV platforms<br></div></span></span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;
text-align:justify;mso-list:l1 level1 lfo1;tab-stops:list 36.0pt"><span style=""><span class="font" style="font-family:"Times New Roman", serif"><div>Real-time performance optimization techniques
for VLMs and LLMs in UAVs<br></div></span></span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;
text-align:justify;mso-list:l1 level1 lfo1;tab-stops:list 36.0pt"><span style=""><span class="font" style="font-family:"Times New Roman", serif"><div>Robustness and reliability of VLMs and LLMs in
complex and dynamic environments<br></div></span></span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;
text-align:justify;mso-list:l1 level1 lfo1;tab-stops:list 36.0pt"><span style=""><span class="font" style="font-family:"Times New Roman", serif"><div>Ethical considerations and safety measures for
deploying VLMs and LLMs in UAVs<br></div></span></span></li></ul><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;
text-align:justify;mso-outline-level:3"><span style=""><span class="font" style="font-family:"Times New Roman", serif"><span class="size" style="font-size:13.5pt"></span></span></span></p><div>Submission Information<br></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;
text-align:justify"><span style=""><span class="font" style="font-family:"Times New Roman", serif"></span></span></p><div>Manuscripts
should be submitted online at <a href="https://www.mdpi.com/journal/drones/special_issues/NXAHUFC2BP" rel="noopener noreferrer"><span style="color:blue">MDPI Submission Portal</span></a> by
registering and logging in. Once registered, use the previous webpage link to
submit your manuscript. The deadline for manuscript submissions is 31 December
2024. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed, and accepted
papers will be published continuously in the journal and listed together on the
Special Issue website.<br></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;
text-align:justify;mso-outline-level:3"><span style=""><span class="font" style="font-family:"Times New Roman", serif"><span class="size" style="font-size:13.5pt"></span></span></span></p><div>Guest Editors<br></div><p></p><ul type="disc"><li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;
text-align:justify;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo2;tab-stops:list 36.0pt"><span style=""><span class="font" style="font-family:"Times New Roman", serif"><div>Prof. Dr. Carlos Tavares Calafate<br></div></span></span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;
text-align:justify;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo2;tab-stops:list 36.0pt"><span style=""><span class="font" style="font-family:"Times New Roman", serif"><div>Prof. Dr. I. de Zarzà<br></div></span></span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;
text-align:justify;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo2;tab-stops:list 36.0pt"><span style=""><span class="font" style="font-family:"Times New Roman", serif"><div>Prof. Dr. J. de Curtò<br></div></span></span></li></ul><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;
text-align:justify"><span style=""><span class="font" style="font-family:"Times New Roman", serif"></span></span></p><div>We look
forward to receiving your submissions and contributing to the advancement of
intelligent and autonomous UAV systems powered by VLMs and LLMs.<br></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;
text-align:justify"><span style=""><span class="font" style="font-family:"Times New Roman", serif"></span></span></p><div>Best
regards,<br></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;
text-align:justify"><span style=""><span class="font" style="font-family:"Times New Roman", serif"></span></span></p><div>Prof. Dr.
Carlos Tavares Calafate<br></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;
text-align:justify"><span style=""><span class="font" style="font-family:"Times New Roman", serif"></span></span></p><div>Prof. Dr.
I. de Zarzà<br></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;
text-align:justify"><span style=""><span class="font" style="font-family:"Times New Roman", serif"></span></span></p><div>Prof. Dr.
J. de Curtò<br></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;
text-align:justify"><span style=""><span class="font" style="font-family:"Times New Roman", serif"></span></span></p><div>Guest
Editors, MDPI Drones<br></div><div><br></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div><span style="color: black; background: white;"><span class="font" style="font-family:Menlo"><span class="size" style="font-size:9pt">MDPI
Drones, Impact Factor (2023): 4.4, Q1: Remote Sensing.</span></span></span><br></div><span style=""><span class="font" style="font-family:"Times New Roman", serif"></span></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div><span style="color: black; background: white;"><span class="font" style="font-family:Menlo"><span class="size" style="font-size:9pt">5-Year
Impact Factor: 4.8</span></span></span><br></div><span style=""><span class="font" style="font-family:"Times New Roman", serif"></span></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div><span style="color: black; background: white;"><span class="font" style="font-family:Menlo"><span class="size" style="font-size:9pt">CiteScore
(2023) : 5.6, Q1: Aerospace Engineering</span></span></span><br></div><span style=""><span class="font" style="font-family:"Times New Roman", serif"></span></span><p></p><div><div class="x-apple-signature" style="white-space: pre-wrap">--
Professor Dr. de Curtò, J.
Recognised Researcher, BARCELONA Supercomputing Center - Centro Nacional de Supercomputación, Plaça Eusebi Güell, 1-3 Barcelona, 08034
Profesor Asociado, Universidad Pontificia Comillas, Alberto Aguilera, 23 Madrid, 28015
e-mail: <a href="mailto:jdecurto@icai.comillas.edu">jdecurto@icai.comillas.edu</a>
web: <a href="https://web.comillas.edu/profesor/jdecurto" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://web.comillas.edu/profesor/jdecurto</a><br></div><div><br></div><div><br></div></div><div><br></div></body></html>