2014
Authors
Abdolmaleki, A; Shafii, N; Reis, LP; Lau, N; Peters, J; Neumann, G;
Publication
ADVANCES IN ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (IBERAMIA 2014)
Abstract
In this paper, we propose a novel omnidirectional walking engine that achieves energy efficient, human like, stable and fast walking. We augment the 3D inverted pendulum with a spring model to implement a height change in the robot's center of mass trajectory. This model is used as simplified model of the robot and the zero moment point (ZMP) criterion is used as the stability indicator. The presented walking engine consists of 5 main modules including the "next posture generator" module, the "foot trajectory generator" module, the "center of mass (CoM) trajectory generator" module, the "robot posture controller" module and "Inverse kinematics (IK) solver" module. The focus of the paper is the generation of the position of the next step and the CoM trajectory generation. For the trajectory generator, we extend the 3D-IPM with an undamped spring to implement height changes of the CoM. With this model we can implement active compliance for the robot's gait, resulting in a more energy efficient movement. We present a modified method for solving ZMP equations which derivation is based on the new proposed model for omnidirectional walking. The walk engine is tested on simulated and a real NAO robot. We use policy search to optimize the parameters of the walking engines for the standard 3D-LIPM and our proposed model to compare the performance of both models each with their optimal parameters. We optimize the policy parameters in terms of energy efficiency for a fixed walking speed. The experimental results show the advantages of our proposed model over 3D-LIPM.
2014
Authors
Nunes, LJR; Matias, JCO; Catalao, JPS;
Publication
APPLIED ENERGY
Abstract
The need to generate thermal and electrical energy, global warming caused by increased emissions of greenhouse gases, rising fossil fuel prices and demand for energy independence, have created a new industry focused on energy production through the use of renewable sources. Among the different options, biomass is the third most important source for obtaining electricity, and is the main source for the production of thermal energy. However, problems related to the low density of the different types of biomass, and the difficulty of transportation and storage, have led to the need to find solid fuels with higher density and greater hardness, known as pellets and briquettes. This paper seeks to develop an analysis of the current situation of the production of pellets, mainly with mixed biomass types, and the possible uses they have, with the main emphasis on the review of different combustion processes.
2014
Authors
Mohanty, S; Carrizo Moreira, A;
Publication
IEEE Potentials
Abstract
With the global population crossing the 7 billion mark, the world is too crowded. The race for survival is not limited to food, water, shelter, and other basic needs; it also includes fierce competition in all industrial sectors across the world. These days, there are basically two patterns of uncontrolled industrial growth across the world. The first one is meant to fulfill the domestic demands and the common needs of the people. The second one is to exploit the present world situation to maximize profits. Of course, this is a race for supremacy that pushes nations to compete in all possible means to achieve the most from their resources.
2014
Authors
Ferreira, MS; Santos, JL; Frazao, O;
Publication
23RD INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON OPTICAL FIBRE SENSORS
Abstract
In this work a novel optical fiber sensor based on silica microspheres array is proposed. Different sensing heads are presented and compared, differing on the number of microspheres. These structures, ranging from arrays of one to five, are spliced in series. The sensor is subjected to different physical parameters, such as strain, temperature, refractive index and bending. Depending on the number of microspheres the sensitivities to strain and bending are different. The sensor also presents a high sensitivity to temperature of 20.3 pm/degrees C.
2014
Authors
Lourenço, CB; Frade, MJ; Pinto, JS;
Publication
AUTOMATED TECHNOLOGY FOR VERIFICATION AND ANALYSIS, ATVA 2014
Abstract
This paper discusses the design and implementation of a bounded model checker for SPARK code, and provides a proof of concept of the utility and practicality of bounded verification for SPARK.
2014
Authors
Goncalves, JSV; Rossetti, RJF; Jacob, J; Goncalves, J; Olaverri Monreal, C; Coelho, A; Rodrigues, R;
Publication
2014 IEEE INTELLIGENT VEHICLES SYMPOSIUM PROCEEDINGS
Abstract
The development of Advanced Driver Assistance Systems ( ADAS) is rapidly growing. However, most of the ADAS require field test, which is expensive, unpredictable and time consuming. In this paper we propose a multiagent-based driving simulator which integrates a human factor analysis suite and enables rapid and low-cost experimentation of mobile-device ADAS. Our architecture uses a microscopic simulator and a serious-game-based driving simulator. The latter allows the user to control a vehicle and change the correspondent simulation state in the microscopic simulator. The driving simulator also connects to an Android device and sends several kinds of data, such as current GPS coordinates or transportation network data. One important feature of this architecture is its suitability to serve as an appropriate means to conduct behaviour elicitation through peer-designed agents, so as to improve modelling of various driving styles accounting for different aspects of preferences and perception abilities, as well as other performance measures related to drivers' interaction with ADAS solutions. The potentials of our approach to aid experiments in human factor analysis are still to be tested, but are undoubtedly huge and encouraging.
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