Abstract
This paper propose a real-time vision framework for mobile robotics and describes the current implementation. The pipeline structure further reduces latency and allows a paralleled hardware implementation. A dedicated hardware vision sensor was developed in order to take advantage of the proposed architecture. The real-time characteristics and hardware partial implementation, coupled with low energy consumption address typical autonomous systems applications. A characterization of the implemented system in the Robocup scenario, during competition matches, is presented.

Abstract
The coordinated use of multiple Autonomous Underwater Vehicles can provide important advantages for oceanographic missions. One important mission application scenario can be the search of underwater plumes such as sources of freshwater of hydrotermal vents. These plumes characterize the environment by creating a gradient field of some measurable physical quantity. An innovative integrated acoustic navigation system and coordination control maneuver for a formation of 3 AUVs and I surface craft to gradient search and following missions is proposed. The specific formation geometry and topology takes in account the navigation and coordination requirements. It was designed to achieve an efficient, low cost and technically feasible solution. The system can operate in 3 modes depending on formation distances. Varying pinging rates and offsets are used to communicate parameters and mode changing. No additional underwater communication systems neither acoustic transponder deployment are needed for the vehicle coordination. This way a high degree of energy efficiency and overall mission low cost and simpler logistics is achieved. The hybrid nature of the coordinating maneuver allows the formation gradient survey and following with the efficient exploitation of the environment structuring by the phenomena to be studied. The individual control laws were designed in order to minimize the inter-vehicle communication. The coordination factors are the knowledge by the vehicles of each other behavior (since all vehicles execute the same control laws) and the detection of formation distortions. These distortions are detected by the relative navigation system. The proposed approach allows the low cost implementation of a multiple AUV coordinating control for a large range of oceanographic missions.

Abstract
Three classes of oceanographic addressing relevant distinct scientific and applied objectives in the Portuguese coastal waters are examined. Then, by assuming some mission organizations in the light of the current technological state-of-art, a set of functionalities required for an operational system are extracted. Finally, some requirements for the design and development of such a class of systems are discussed.

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This paper describes the main design options of the PO-ROBOT project. The PO-ROBOT project consists in the design and the implementation of the Vehicle and Mission Management Systems of a mobile platform for autonomous transportation, surveillance and inspection in structured and semi-structured industrial environments. This project is funded by the NATO Programme Science for Stability and the Institute for Systems and Robotics. The Vehicle and Mission Management Systems are based in a hierarchical control structure organized linguistically permitting the parallel execution of tasks in real-time. This architecture is composed by the following three levels structured according to the IPDI (Increasing Precision with Decreasing Intelligence) Principle: Organization, Coordination and Functional Layer.

Abstract