Abstract
This paper presents a collective foraging algorithm designed to simulate natural selection in a group of swarm robots. The Robotic Darwinian Particle Swarm Optimization (RDPSO) previously proposed is improved using fractional calculus theory and evaluated on real low-cost mobile robots performing a distributed foraging task. This work aims at evaluating this novel exploration strategy, by studying the performance of the algorithm within a population of up to 12 robots, under communication constraints. In order to simulate the maximum allowed communication distance, robots were provided with a list of their teammates' addresses. Experimental results show that only 4 robots are needed to accomplish the proposed mission and, independently on the number of robots, maximum communication distance and fractional coefficient, the optimal solution is achieved in approximately 90% of the experiments.

Abstract
Brain Computer Interfaces (BCI) enables interaction between users and hardware systems, through the recognition of brainwave activity. However, the current BCI systems still have a very low accuracy on the recognition of facial expressions and thoughts. This makes it very difficult to use these devices to enable safe and robust commands of complex devices such as an Intelligent Wheelchair. This paper presents an approach to expand the use of a brain computer interface for driving an intelligent wheelchair by patients suffering from cerebral palsy. The approach was based on appropriate signal preprocessing based on Hjorth parameters, a forward approach for variable selection and several data mining algorithms for classification such as naive Bayes, neural networks and support vector machines. Experiments were performed using 30 individuals suffering from IV and V degrees of cerebral palsy on the Gross Motor Function (GMF) measure. The results achieved showed that the preprocessing and variable selection methods were effective enabling to improve the results of a commercial BCI product by 57%. With the developed system it was also possible for users to perform a circuit in a simulated environment using just facial expressions and thoughts.

Abstract
WirelessHART currently appears as a promising solution for the last mile connection in process control applications. Most of these applications have stringent dependability requirements, where a system failure may result in economic losses, or damage for human life or the environment. Among the different type of faults that can lead to a system failure, permanent faults on network devices have a major impact. They can hamper communication over long periods of time and consequently they may disturb, or even disable, control algorithms with all resulting problems. In this work we perform a dependability evaluation of the best practices indicated by the HART Communication Foundation (HCF), when network devices are subject to permanent faults.

Abstract

Abstract
Music sources are most commontly shared in music scores scanned or printed on paper sheets. These artifacts are rich in information, but since they are images it is hard to re-use and share their content in todays' digital world. There are modern languages that can be used to transcribe music sheets, this is still a time consuming task, because of the complexity involved in the process and the typical huge size of the original documents. WIKI::SCORE is a collaborative environment where several people work together to transcribe music sheets to a shared medium, using the notation. This eases the process of transcribing huge documents, and stores the document in a well known notation, that can be used later on to publish the whole content in several formats, such as a PDF document, images or audio files for example.

Abstract
We propose an MPC framework to address impulsive dynamical systems, i.e. systems in which the state trajectories are permitted to have discontinuities (jumps) in response to impulsive controls. We describe how previous results on sampled-data trajectories, invariance of sets, optimal control, and stability in the context of impulsive systems can be used and adapted to a sampled-data MPC framework. We provide sufficient conditions on the design parameters of the optimal control problems that guarantee: (i) feasibility of the sequence of optimal control problems, and (ii) stability of the controlled system. © 2012 IFAC.