Abstract
Background-Classification, detection, and segmentation of minimally invasive instruments is an essential component for robotic-assisted surgeries and surgical skill assessments. Methods-Cochrane Library, PubMed, ScienceDirect, and IEEE Xplore databases were searched from January 2018 to May 2022. Selected studies evaluated deep learning (DL) models for image and video analysis of laparoscopic surgery. Comparisons were made of the studies' characteristics such as the dataset source, type of laparoscopic operation, number of images/videos, and types of neural networks (NN) used. Results-22 out of 152 studies identified met the selection criteria. The application with the greatest number of studies was instrument detection (59.1%) and the second was instrument segmentation (40.9%). The most tested procedure was cholecystectomy (72.73%). Conclusions-Although CNN-based algorithms outperform other methods in instrument detection and many have been proposed, there are still challenging conditions where numerous difficulties arise. U-Nets are the dominant force in the field for segmentation, but other models such as Mask R-CNN follow close behind with comparable results. Deep learning holds immense potential in laparoscopic surgery and many improvements are expected as soon as data quality improves.

Abstract
This paper deliberates some of the motivations for contemplating Kits in the theoretical-practical class of a Curricular Unit of Process Control to first year students of a Master Degree in Mechanical Engineering, alongside their purpose. Also, the perceptions of these students about the use of these kits in their learning process are discussed based on an online questionnaire developed for that purpose. According to students' feedback, gathered by an anonymous online questionnaire, it was possible to investigate the effectiveness of the use of didactics kits in the learning of Process Control topics. The obtained results from the students perception are clearly positive and motivating to further uses of this type kit as portable laboratories. © 2023 IEEE.

Abstract
Tourists nowadays tend to avoid tourist traps and are looking for engaging ways to explore cities in the limited time they have. Standard options to explore cities seldom offer a combination between efficiency and fun. Furthermore, a search for an exploration city app returns an unlimited supply of lookalike websites and apps, all claiming to be the best. This paper reports the development of QRioCity, an efficient and exciting way to explore cities, by the “Dragonics” student team. QRioCity offers users the option to sign up for a playful tour through the city of Porto using a public kiosk with an interactive touchscreen. There is no limit to the number of teams playing simultaneously nor there is need to provide personal data. The teams are led through the city using clues and are proposed assignments, like scanning QR codes, to earn points. At the end of the game, every team receives discount coupons for local shops or stores depending on their score, even when they play alone. This way QRioCity helps tourists enjoying the local city life while offering municipalities a chance to strengthen their local economy. © 2023, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd.

Abstract
To tackle wildfires and improve forest biomass management, cost effective and reliable mowing and pruning robots are required. However, the development of visual perception systems for forestry robotics needs to be researched and explored to achieve safe solutions. This paper presents two main contributions: an annotated dataset and a benchmark between edge-computing hardware and deep learning models. The dataset is composed by nearly 5,400 annotated images. This dataset enabled to train nine object detectors: four SSD MobileNets, one EfficientDet, three YOLO-based detectors and YOLOR. These detectors were deployed and tested on three edge-computing hardware (TPU, CPU and GPU), and evaluated in terms of detection precision and inference time. The results showed that YOLOR was the best trunk detector achieving nearly 90% F1 score and an inference average time of 13.7ms on GPU. This work will favour the development of advanced vision perception systems for robotics in forestry operations.

Abstract
This article presents the results regarding a systematic literature review procedure on digital twins applied to precision agriculture. In particular, research and development activities aimed at the use of digital twins, in the context of predictive control, with the purpose of improving soil quality. This study was carried out through an exhaustive search of scientific literature on five different databases. A total of 158 articles were extracted as a result of this search. After a first screening process, only 11 articles were considered to be aligned with the current topic. Subsequently, these articles were categorised to extract all relevant information, using the preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses methods. Based on the obtained results, there are two main conclusions to draw: First, when compared with industrial processes, there is only a very slight rising trend regarding the use of digital twins in agriculture. Second, within the time frame in which this work was carried out, it was not possible to find any published paper on the use of digital twins for soil quality improvement within a model predictive control context.

Abstract