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Publications

Publications by CRIIS

2022

Hybrid Legged-Wheeled Robot Path Following: A Realistic Simulation Approach

Authors
Pinto, VH; Soares, IN; Ribeiro, F; Lima, J; Goncalves, J; Costa, P;

Publication
CONTROLO 2022

Abstract
Legged-wheeled locomotion systems are a particular case of robot types that can be characterized by an increase in the degrees of freedom. To increase safety and robustness in the performance of industrial robots, while reducing the risk of damage to the robot joints and injure to human operators, the use of non-rigid joints is growing in the literature and in the industry. Realistic simulators are tools capable of detecting rigid bodies interactions through physics engines. This paper presents the simulation model of a hybrid legged-wheeled robot, built in the SimTwo simulator. The proposed algorithms for path following control are detailed, along with the tests performed to them. These showed that the errors in linear paths are at most 1 cm. For circular paths, the maximum error is 3 cm.

2022

Stochastic Modeling of a Time of Flight Sensor to Be Applied in a Mobile Robotics Application

Authors
Brancaliao, L; Conde, MA; Costa, P; Goncalves, J;

Publication
CONTROLO 2022

Abstract
In this paper it is presented the stochastic modeling of a time of flight sensor, to be applied in a mobile robotics application. The sensor was configured to provide data at a frequency 30 Hz, obtaining a tradeoff between reactiveness and accuracy. The sensor data was acquired using a microcontroller development board, being the sensor moved with a manipulator, in order to assure repeatability and accuracy in the data acquisition process. The sensor was modeled having in mind the targets color, ranging from black to white for the working range, its variance, standard deviation, offset, means and errors measures were estimated.

2022

RobotAtFactory 4.0: a ROS framework for the SimTwo simulator

Authors
Braun, J; Oliveira, A; Berger, GS; Lima, J; Pereira, AI; Costa, P;

Publication
2022 IEEE INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON AUTONOMOUS ROBOT SYSTEMS AND COMPETITIONS (ICARSC)

Abstract
Robotics competitions encourage the development of solutions to new challenges that emerge in sync with the rise of Industry 4.0. In this context, robotic simulators are employed to facilitate the development of these solutions by disseminating knowledge in robotics, Education 4.0, and STEM. The RobotAtFactory 4.0 competition arises to promote improvements in industrial challenges related to autonomous robots. The official organization provides the simulation scene of the competition through the open-source SimTwo simulator. This paper aims to integrate the SiwTwo simulator with the Robot Operating System (ROS) middleware by developing a framework. This integration facilitates the design of robotic systems since ROS has a vast repository of packages that address common problems in robotics. Thus, competitors can use this framework to develop their solutions through ROS, allowing the simulated and real systems to be integrated.

2022

Data Analysis for Trajectory Generation for a Robot Manipulator Using Data from a 2D Industrial Laser

Authors
Gomes, D; Alvarez, M; Brancaliao, L; Carneiro, J; Goncalves, G; Costa, P; Goncalves, J; Pinto, VH;

Publication
MACHINES

Abstract
Nowadays, the automation of factory floors is necessary for extensive manufacturing processes to meet the ever-increasing competitiveness of current markets. The technological advances applied to the digital platforms have led many businesses to automate their manufacturing processes, introducing robotic manipulators collaborating with human operators to achieve new productivity, manufacturing quality, and safety levels. However, regardless of the amount of optimization implemented, some quality problems may be introduced in production lines with many products being designed and produced. This project proposes a solution for feature extraction that can be applied to automatic shape- and position-detection using a 2-dimension (2D) industrial laser to extract 3-dimension (3D) data where the movement of the item adds the third dimension through the laser's beam. The main goal is data acquisition and analysis. This analysis will later lead to the generation of trajectories for a robotic manipulator. The results of this application proved reliable given their small measurement error values of a maximum of 2 mm.

2022

Data Matrix Based Low Cost Autonomous Detection of Medicine Packages

Authors
Lima, J; Rocha, C; Rocha, L; Costa, P;

Publication
APPLIED SCIENCES-BASEL

Abstract
Counterfeit medicine is still a crucial problem for healthcare systems, having a huge impact in worldwide health and economy. Medicine packages can be traced from the moment of their production until they are delivered to the costumers through the use of Data Matrix codes, unique identifiers that can validate their authenticity. Currently, many practitioners at hospital pharmacies have to manually scan such codes one by one, a very repetitive and burdensome task. In this paper, a system which can simultaneously scan multiple Data Matrix codes and autonomously introduce them into an authentication database is proposed for the Hospital Pharmacy of the Centro Hospitalar de Vila Nova de Gaia/Espinho, E.P.E. Relevant features are its low cost and its seamless integration in their infrastructure. The results of the experiments were encouraging, and with upgrades such as real-time feedback of the code's validation and increased robustness of the hardware system, it is expected that the system can be used as a real support to the pharmacists.

2022

Map Coverage of LoRaWAN Signal's Employing GPS from Mobile Devices

Authors
Brito, T; Mendes, J; Zorawski, M; Azevedo, BF; Khalifeh, A; Fernandes, FP; Pereira, AI; Lima, J; Costa, P;

Publication
OPTIMIZATION, LEARNING ALGORITHMS AND APPLICATIONS, OL2A 2022

Abstract
Forests are remote areas with uneven terrain, so it is costly to map the range of signals that enable the implementation of systems based on wireless and long-distance communication. Even so, the interest in Internet of Things (IoT) functionalities for forest monitoring systems has increasingly attracted the attention of several researchers. This work demonstrates the development of a platform that uses the GPS technology of mobile devices to map the signals of a LoRaWAN Gateway. Therefore, the proposed system is based on concatenating two messages to optimize the LoRaWAN transmission using the Global Position System (GPS) data from a mobile device. With the proposed approach, it is possible to guarantee the data transmission when finding the ideal places to fix nodes regarding the coverage of LoRaWAN because the Gateway bandwidth will not be fulfilled. The tests indicate that different changes in the relief and large bodies drastically affect the signal provided by the Gateway. This work demonstrates that mapping the Gateway's signal is essential to attach modules in the forest, agriculture zones, or even smart cities.

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