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Publications

Publications by CRAS

2013

Robot@Factory: Localization Method Based on Map-Matching and Particle Swarm Optimization

Authors
Pinto, AMG; Paulo Moreira, AP; Costa, PG;

Publication
PROCEEDINGS OF THE 2013 13TH INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON AUTONOMOUS ROBOT SYSTEMS (ROBOTICA)

Abstract
This paper presents a novel localization method for small mobile robots. The proposed technique is especially designed for the Robot@Factory which is a new robotic competition presented in Lisbon 2011. The real-time localization technique resorts to low-cost infra-red sensors, a map-matching method and an Extended Kalman Filter (EKF) to create a pose tracking system that is well-behaved. The sensor information is continuously updated in time and space through the expected motion of the robot. Then, the information is incorporated into the map-matching optimization in order to increase the amount of sensor information that is available at each moment. In addition, a particle filter based on Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) relocates the robot when the map-matching error is high. Meaning that the map-matching is unreliable and robot is lost. The experiments conducted in this paper prove the ability and accuracy of the presented technique to localize small mobile robots for this competition. Therefore, extensive results show that the proposed method have an interesting localization capability for robots equipped with a limited amount of sensors.

2013

EKF-based visual self-calibration tool for robots with rotating directional cameras

Authors
Ribeiro, J; Serra, R; Nunes, N; Silva, H; Almeida, J;

Publication
PROCEEDINGS OF THE 2013 13TH INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON AUTONOMOUS ROBOT SYSTEMS (ROBOTICA)

Abstract
Autonomous mobile robots perception systems are complex multi-sensors systems. Information from different sensors, placed in different parts of the platforms, need to be related and fused into some representation of the world or robot state. For that, the knowledge of the relative pose (position and rotation) between sensors frames and the platform frame plays a critical role. The process to determine those is called extrinsic calibration. This paper addresses the development of automatic robot calibration tool for Middle Size League Robots with rotating directional cameras, such as the ISePorto team robots. The proposed solution consists on a robot navigating in a path, while acquiring visual information provided by a known target positioned in a global reference frame. This information is then combined with wheel odometry sensors, robot rotative axis encoders and gyro information within an Extend Kalman filter framework, that estimates all parameters required for the sensors angles and position determination related to the robot body frame. We evaluated our solution, by performing several trials and obtaining similar results to the previous used manual calibration procedure, but with a much less time consuming performance and also without being susceptible to human error.

2013

The European Project Semester at ISEP Learning to Learn Engineering

Authors
Malheiro, B; Silva, M; Ribeiro, MC; Guedes, P; Ferreira, P;

Publication
2013 1ST INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE OF THE PORTUGUESE SOCIETY FOR ENGINEERING EDUCATION (CISPEE)

Abstract
The European Project Semester at ISEP (EPS@ISEP) is a one semester project-based learning programme addressed to engineering students from diverse scientific backgrounds and nationalities. The students, organized in multicultural teams, are challenged to solve real world multidisciplinary problems, accounting for 30 ECTU. The EPS package, although focused on project development (20 ECTU), includes a series of complementary seminars aimed at fostering soft, project-related and engineering transversal skills (10 ECTU). This paper presents the study plan, resources, operation and results of the EPS@ISEP that was created in 2011 to apply the best engineering education practices and promote the internationalization of ISEP. The results show that the EPS@ISEP students acquire during one semester the scientific, technical and soft competences necessary to propose, design and implement a solution for a multidisciplinary problem.

2013

Personalised Advertising Supported by Agents

Authors
Veloso, B; Sousa, L; Malheiro, B;

Publication
Distributed Computing and Artificial Intelligence - 10th International Conference, DCAI 2013, Salamanca, Spain, May 22-24, 2013

Abstract
This paper reports the development of a B2B platform for the personalization of the publicity transmitted during the program intervals. The platform as a whole must ensure that the intervals are filled with ads compatible with the profile, context and expressed interests of the viewers. The platform acts as an electronic marketplace for advertising agencies (content producer companies) and multimedia content providers (content distribution companies). The companies, once registered at the platform, are represented by agents who negotiate automatically the price of the interval timeslots according to the specified price range and adaptation behaviour. The candidate ads for a given viewer interval are selected through a matching mechanism between ad, viewer and the current context (program being watched) profiles. The overall architecture of the platform consists of a multiagent system organized into three layers consisting of: (i) interface agents that interact with companies; (ii) enterprise agents that model the companies, and (iii) delegate agents that negotiate a specific ad or interval. The negotiation follows a variant of the Iterated Contract Net Interaction Protocol (ICNIP) and is based on the price/s offered by the advertising agencies to occupy the viewer's interval. © Springer International Publishing Switzerland 2013.

2013

Support System for Rational Use of Electric Energy

Authors
Teixeira, T; Malheiro, B;

Publication
PROCEEDINGS OF THE 2013 8TH IBERIAN CONFERENCE ON INFORMATION SYSTEMS AND TECHNOLOGIES (CISTI 2013)

Abstract
This paper presents the system developed to promote the rational use of electric energy among consumers and, thus, increase the energy efficiency. The goal is to provide energy consumers with an application that displays the energy consumption/production profiles, sets up consuming ceilings, defines automatic alerts and alarms, compares anonymously consumers with identical energy usage profiles by region and predicts, in the case of non-residential installations, the expected consumption/production values. The resulting distributed system is organized in two main blocks: front-end and back-end. The front-end includes user interface applications for Android mobile devices and Web browsers. The back-end provides data storage and processing functionalities and is installed in a cloud computing platform -the Google App Engine - which provides a standard Web service interface. This option ensures interoperability, scalability and robustness to the system.

2013

Level monitoring system for waste oil containers: an EPS@ISEP project

Authors
Moura, Marcos; Tasa, Mihkel; Olejniczak, Olga Agata; Ahmad, Naeem; Silva, António Ferreira da; Malheiro, Benedita; Silva, Manuel F.; Ribeiro, Maria Cristina; Caetano, Nídia Sá; Ferreira, Paulo; Guedes, Pedro;

Publication
1st International Conference of the Portuguese Society for Engineering Education

Abstract
Waste oil recycling companies play a very important role in our society. Competition among companies is tough and process optimization is essential for survival. By equipping oil containers with a level monitoring system that periodically reports the level and alerts when it reaches the preset threshold, the oil recycling companies are able to streamline the oil collection process and, thus, reduce the operation costs while maintaining the quality of service. This paper describes the development of this level monitoring system by a team of four students from different engineering backgrounds and nationalities. The team conducted a study of the state of the art, draw marketing and sustainable development plans and, finally, designed and implemented a prototype that continuously measures the container content level and sends an alert message as soon as it reaches the preset capacity.

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