2024
Autores
Martins, JG; Costa, GM; Petry, MR; Costa, P; Moreira, AP;
Publicação
2024 IEEE INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON AUTONOMOUS ROBOT SYSTEMS AND COMPETITIONS, ICARSC
Abstract
Current industrial environments have multiple robots working alongside humans, thus providing an operator the ability to perceive the robot's workspace correctly and to anticipate its intentions and movements through the visualization of the robot's digital twin is of utmost importance for safe and productive human-robot collaboration scenarios. Much has been studied regarding single human-single robot collaborative scenarios, but few address multi-user multi-robot scenarios. To this end, this paper presents a multi-robot multi-operator architecture, where the users' awareness is enhanced through an augmented reality head-mounted display. A multi-robot, multi-user collaborative scenario is presented in a laboratory environment with two industrial robots. Besides being able to interact with both robots in the system, each user becomes more aware of the robot's workspace and its pre-defined trajectories. Furthermore, it presents how fiducial markers can help to establish the relation between the different coordinate frames.
2024
Autores
Santos, T; Cunha, T; Dias, A; Moreira, AP; Almeida, J;
Publicação
SENSORS
Abstract
Inspecting and maintaining power lines is essential for ensuring the safety, reliability, and efficiency of electrical infrastructure. This process involves regular assessment to identify hazards such as damaged wires, corrosion, or vegetation encroachment, followed by timely maintenance to prevent accidents and power outages. By conducting routine inspections and maintenance, utilities can comply with regulations, enhance operational efficiency, and extend the lifespan of power lines and equipment. Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) can play a relevant role in this process by increasing efficiency through rapid coverage of large areas and access to difficult-to-reach locations, enhanced safety by minimizing risks to personnel in hazardous environments, and cost-effectiveness compared to traditional methods. UAVs equipped with sensors such as visual and thermographic cameras enable the accurate collection of high-resolution data, facilitating early detection of defects and other potential issues. To ensure the safety of the autonomous inspection process, UAVs must be capable of performing onboard processing, particularly for detection of power lines and obstacles. In this paper, we address the development of a deep learning approach with YOLOv8 for power line detection based on visual and thermographic images. The developed solution was validated with a UAV during a power line inspection mission, obtaining mAP@0.5 results of over 90.5% on visible images and over 96.9% on thermographic images.
2024
Autores
Pires, F; Melo, V; Queiroz, J; Moreira, AP; de la Prieta, F; Estévez, E; Leitao, P;
Publicação
2024 IEEE 7TH INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON INDUSTRIAL CYBER-PHYSICAL SYSTEMS, ICPS 2024
Abstract
Industry 4.0 has brought innovative concepts and technologies that have greatly improved the development of more intelligent, flexible and reconfigurable systems. Two of these concepts, Cyber-Physical Systems (CPSs) and Digital Twins (DTs), have gained significant attention from various stakeholders, e.g., researchers, industry practitioners, and governmental organizations. Both are vital to support the digitalisation of products, machines, and systems, and they focus on the integration of physical and cyber processes, where one affects the other through feedback loops. Having this in mind, this paper aims to better understand how CPS and DT are correlated, particularly exploring their similarities and differences, their positioning within the Industry 4.0 paradigm, and their convergence to develop Industry 4.0 solutions. Some research challenges to develop Industry 4.0 solutions by integrating these concepts are also discussed.
2024
Autores
Magalhães, SC; Moreira, AP; dos Santos, FN; Dias, J;
Publicação
Proceedings of the 21st International Conference on Informatics in Control, Automation and Robotics, ICINCO 2024, Porto, Portugal, November 18-20, 2024, Volume 2.
Abstract
RGB-D sensors face multiple challenges operating under open-field environments because of their sensitivity to external perturbations such as radiation or rain. Multiple works are approaching the challenge of perceiving the three-dimensional (3D) position of objects using monocular cameras. However, most of these works focus mainly on deep learning-based solutions, which are complex, data-driven, and difficult to predict. So, we aim to approach the problem of predicting the three-dimensional (3D) objects’ position using a Gaussian viewpoint estimator named best viewpoint estimator (BVE), powered by an extended Kalman filter (EKF). The algorithm proved efficient on the tasks and reached a maximum average Euclidean error of about 32mm. The experiments were deployed and evaluated in MATLAB using artificial Gaussian noise. Future work aims to implement the system in a robotic system. © 2024 by SCITEPRESS-Science and Technology Publications, Lda.
2024
Autores
Pires, F; Moreira, AP; Leitao, P;
Publicação
29th IEEE International Conference on Emerging Technologies and Factory Automation, ETFA 2024, Padova, Italy, September 10-13, 2024
Abstract
The emergence of Digital Twins (DT) in Industry 4.0 has enabled the decision support systems taking advantage of more effective recommendation systems (RS). Despite the RS's growing popularity and ability to support decision-makers, these face two significant challenges, cold-start and data sparsity, which limits the system's capability to provide effective and accurate decision support. This paper aims to address these issues by conducting a literature review, analysing the current research landscape, and identifying the main enabling methods, algorithms, and similarity measures to mitigate these challenges. The performed analysis enables the point out of future research directions for developing effective and accurate RS that empower decision-makers. © 2024 IEEE.
2024
Autores
Carvalho, JP; Moreira, AP; Aguiar, AP;
Publicação
2024 7TH IBERIAN ROBOTICS CONFERENCE, ROBOT 2024
Abstract
In the field of intelligent autonomous robots, integrating optimization techniques with classical control theory methods for mobile robot control is an increasingly prominent area of research. The combination enhances robots' ability to perform their tasks more efficiently, reliably, and safely. This paper addresses the development of a path and motion planning framework for omnidirectional robots, leveraging B-Splines and Trajectory Tracking with Model Predictive Control. The proposed framework is evaluated through software-in-the-loop tests using two distinct dynamical models and sets of hyperparameters. Final validation is conducted by implementing the framework within a ROS environment and performing field tests on a robotic platform. The results demonstrate that the robot can reliably track trajectories at its actuation limits, and the proposed framework enables the robot to increase its velocity up to 50% when compared to a PID path-following controller.
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