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About

About

Andry Maykol Pinto concluded the Doctoral Program in Electrical and Computer Engineering with thesis related to Robotics, from the Faculty of Engineering of the University of Porto, in 2014. At the same institution, he obtained a Master in Engineering Electrotechnical and Computers in 2010. Currently, he works as a Senior Researcher at the Center for Robotics and Autonomous Systems at INESC TEC and as an Assistant Professor at the Faculty of Engineering of the University of Porto.

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Details

Details

  • Name

    Andry Maykol Pinto
  • Role

    Senior Researcher
  • Since

    01st February 2011
008
Publications

2025

Multimodal information fusion using pyramidal attention-based convolutions for underwater tri-dimensional scene reconstruction

Authors
Leite, PN; Pinto, AM;

Publication
INFORMATION FUSION

Abstract
Underwater environments pose unique challenges to optical systems due to physical phenomena that induce severe data degradation. Current imaging sensors rarely address these effects comprehensively, resulting in the need to integrate complementary information sources. This article presents a multimodal data fusion approach to combine information from diverse sensing modalities into a single dense and accurate tridimensional representation. The proposed fusiNg tExture with apparent motion information for underwater Scene recOnstruction (NESO) encoder-decoder network leverages motion perception principles to extract relative depth cues, fusing them with textured information through an early fusion strategy. Evaluated on the FLSea-Stereo dataset, NESO outperforms state-of-the-art methods by 58.7%. Dense depth maps are achieved using multi-stage skip connections with attention mechanisms that ensure propagation of key features across network levels. This representation is further enhanced by incorporating sparse but millimeter-precise depth measurements from active imaging techniques. A regression-based algorithm maps depth displacements between these heterogeneous point clouds, using the estimated curves to refine the dense NESO prediction. This approach achieves relative errors as low as 0.41% when reconstructing submerged anode structures, accounting for metric improvements of up to 0.1124 m relative to the initial measurements. Validation at the ATLANTIS Coastal Testbed demonstrates the effectiveness of this multimodal fusion approach in obtaining robust tri-dimensional representations in real underwater conditions.

2025

Raya: A Bio-Inspired AUV for Inspection and Intervention of Underwater Structures

Authors
Pereira, P; Silva, R; Marques, JVA; Campilho, R; Matos, A; Pinto, AM;

Publication
IEEE ACCESS

Abstract
This work presents a bio-inspired Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) concept called Raya that enables high manoeuvrability required for close-range inspection and intervention tasks, while fostering endurance for long-range operations by enabling efficient navigation. The AUV has an estimated terminal velocity of 0.82 m/s in an optimal environment, and a capacity to acquire visual data and sonar measurements in all directions. Raya was designed with the potential to incorporate an electric manipulator arm of 6 degrees of freedom (DoF) for free-floating underwater intervention. Smart and biologically inspired principles applied to morphology and a strategic thruster configuration assure that Raya is capable of manoeuvring in all 6 DoFs even when equipped with a manipulator with a 5 kg payload. Extensive experiments were conducted using simulation tools and real-life environments to validate Raya's requirements and functionalities. The stresses and displacements of the rigid bodies were analysed using finite element analysis (FEA), and an estimation of the terminal forward velocity was achieved using a dynamic model. To assess the accuracy of the perception system, a reconstruction task took place in an indoor pool, resulting in a 3D reconstruction with average length, width, and depth errors below 1. 5%. The deployment of Raya in the ATLANTIS Coastal Testbed and Porto de Leix & otilde;es allowed the validation of the propulsion system and the gathering of valuable 2D and 3D data, thus proving the suitability of the vehicle for operation and maintenance (O&M) activities of underwater structures.

2025

A Multimodal Perception System for Precise Landing of UAVs in Offshore Environments

Authors
Claro, RM; Neves, FSP; Pinto, AMG;

Publication
JOURNAL OF FIELD ROBOTICS

Abstract
The integration of precise landing capabilities into unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) is crucial for enabling autonomous operations, particularly in challenging environments such as the offshore scenarios. This work proposes a heterogeneous perception system that incorporates a multimodal fiducial marker, designed to improve the accuracy and robustness of autonomous landing of UAVs in both daytime and nighttime operations. This work presents ViTAL-TAPE, a visual transformer-based model, that enhance the detection reliability of the landing target and overcomes the changes in the illumination conditions and viewpoint positions, where traditional methods fail. VITAL-TAPE is an end-to-end model that combines multimodal perceptual information, including photometric and radiometric data, to detect landing targets defined by a fiducial marker with 6 degrees-of-freedom. Extensive experiments have proved the ability of VITAL-TAPE to detect fiducial markers with an error of 0.01 m. Moreover, experiments using the RAVEN UAV, designed to endure the challenging weather conditions of offshore scenarios, demonstrated that the autonomous landing technology proposed in this work achieved an accuracy up to 0.1 m. This research also presents the first successful autonomous operation of a UAV in a commercial offshore wind farm with floating foundations installed in the Atlantic Ocean. These experiments showcased the system's accuracy, resilience and robustness, resulting in a precise landing technology that extends mission capabilities of UAVs, enabling autonomous and Beyond Visual Line of Sight offshore operations.

2024

DADDI: Offshore Floating Structure Aerial Dataset

Authors
Claro, R; Neves, F; Pereira, P; Pinto, A;

Publication
Oceans Conference Record (IEEE)

Abstract
With the expansion of offshore infrastructure, the necessity for efficient Operation and Maintenance (O&M) procedures intensifies. This article introduces DADDI, a multimodal dataset obtained from a real offshore floating structure, aimed at facilitating comprehensive inspections and 3D model creation. Leveraging Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) equipped with advanced sensors, DADDI provides synchronized data, including visual images, thermal images, point clouds, GNSS, IMU, and odometry data. The dataset, gathered during a campaign at the ATLANTIS Coastal Testbed, offers over 2500 samples of each data type, along with intrinsic and extrinsic sensor calibrations. DADDI serves as a vital resource for the development and evaluation of algorithms, models, and technologies tailored to the inspection, monitoring, and maintenance of complex maritime structures. © 2024 IEEE.

2024

Estimation of the Raya UUV Hydrodynamic Coefficients Using OpenFOAM

Authors
Leitão, J; Pereira, P; Campilho, R; Pinto, A;

Publication
Oceans Conference Record (IEEE)

Abstract
Accurate dynamics modelling of Unmanned Under-water Vehicles (UUV s) is critical for optimizing mission planning, minimizing collision risks, and ensuring the successful execution of tasks in diverse underwater environments. This paper presents a structured approach to estimating the hydrodynamic coeffi-cients of UUV s. Initially, it follows a detailed methodology for estimating hydrodynamic coefficients using simple geometries, a sphere and a spheroid, using the Computational Fluid Dy-namics (CFD) software OpenFoam, and comparing the results to analytical solutions, enabling the validation of the simulations approach. Following this, the paper provides an in-depth analysis of the damping and added mass coefficients for the Raya UUV, offering valuable insights into its hydrodynamic behaviour. © 2024 IEEE.