Response threshold models and stochastic learning automata for self-coordination of heterogeneous multi-task distribution in multi-robot systems.

This paper focuses on the general problem of coordinating multiple robots. More specifically, it addresses the self-selection of heterogeneous specialized tasks by autonomous robots. In this paper we focus on a specifically distributed or decentralized approach as we are particularly interested in a decentralized solution where the robots themselves autonomously and in an individual manner, are responsible for selecting a particular task so that all the existing tasks are optimally distributed and executed. In this regard, we have established an experimental scenario to solve the corresponding multi-task distribution problem and we propose a solution using two different approaches by applying Response Threshold Models as well as Learning Automata-based probabilistic algorithms. We have evaluated the robustness of the algorithms, perturbing the number of pending loads to simulate the robot’s error in estimating the real number of pending tasks and also the dynamic generation of loads through time. The paper ends with a critical discussion of experimental results.

Localization and Tracking in Energy-Constrained Networks with Dynamic Connectivity

Systems used for target localization, such as goods, individuals, or animals, commonly rely on operational means to meet the final application demands. However, what would happen if some means were powered up randomly by harvesting systems? And what if those devices not randomly powered had their duty cycles restricted? Under what conditions would such an operation be tolerable in localization services? What if the references provided by nodes in a tracking problem were distorted? Moreover, there is an underlying topic common to the previous questions regarding the transfer of conceptual models to reality in field tests: what challenges are faced upon deploying a localization network that integrates energy harvesting modules? The application scenario of the system studied is a traditional herding environment of semi domesticated reindeer (Rangifer tarandus tarandus) in northern Scandinavia. In these conditions, information on approximate locations of reindeer is as important as environmental preservation. Herders also need cost-effective devices capable of operating unattended in, sometimes, extreme weather conditions. The analyses developed are worthy not only for the specific application environment presented, but also because they may serve as an approach to performance of navigation systems in absence of reasonably accurate references like the ones of the Global Positioning System (GPS). A number of energy-harvesting solutions, like thermal and radio-frequency harvesting, do not commonly provide power beyond one milliwatt. When they do, battery buffers may be needed (as it happens with solar energy) which may raise costs and make systems more dependent on environmental temperatures. In general, given our problem, a harvesting system is needed that be capable of providing energy bursts of, at least, some milliwatts. Many works on localization problems assume that devices have certain capabilities to determine unknown locations based on range-based techniques or fingerprinting which cannot be assumed in the approach considered herein. The system presented is akin to range-free techniques, but goes to the extent of considering very low node densities: most range-free techniques are, therefore, not applicable. Animal localization, in particular, uses to be supported by accurate devices such as GPS collars which deplete batteries in, maximum, a few days. Such short-life solutions are not particularly desirable in the framework considered. In tracking, the challenge may times addressed aims at attaining high precision levels from complex reliable hardware and thorough processing techniques. One of the challenges in this Thesis is the use of equipment with just part of its facilities in permanent operation, which may yield high input noise levels in the form of distorted reference points. The solution presented integrates a kinetic harvesting module in some nodes which are expected to be a majority in the network. These modules are capable of providing power bursts of some milliwatts which suffice to meet node energy demands. The usage of harvesting modules in the aforementioned conditions makes the system less dependent on environmental temperatures as no batteries are used in nodes with harvesters--it may be also an advantage in economic terms. There is a second kind of nodes. They are battery powered (without kinetic energy harvesters), and are, therefore, dependent on temperature and battery replacements. In addition, their operation is constrained by duty cycles in order to extend node lifetime and, consequently, their autonomy. There is, in turn, a third type of nodes (hotspots) which can be static or mobile. They are also battery-powered, and are used to retrieve information from the network so that it is presented to users. The system operational chain starts at the kinetic-powered nodes broadcasting their own identifier. If an identifier is received at a battery-powered node, the latter stores it for its records. Later, as the recording node meets a hotspot, its full record of detections is transferred to the hotspot. Every detection registry comprises, at least, a node identifier and the position read from its GPS module by the battery-operated node previously to detection. The characteristics of the system presented make the aforementioned operation own certain particularities which are also studied. First, identifier transmissions are random as they depend on movements at kinetic modules--reindeer movements in our application. Not every movement suffices since it must overcome a certain energy threshold. Second, identifier transmissions may not be heard unless there is a battery-powered node in the surroundings. Third, battery-powered nodes do not poll continuously their GPS module, hence localization errors rise even more. Let's recall at this point that such behavior is tight to the aforementioned power saving policies to extend node lifetime. Last, some time is elapsed between the instant an identifier random transmission is detected and the moment the user is aware of such a detection: it takes some time to find a hotspot. Tracking is posed as a problem of a single kinetically-powered target and a population of battery-operated nodes with higher densities than before in localization. Since the latter provide their approximate positions as reference locations, the study is again focused on assessing the impact of such distorted references on performance. Unlike in localization, distance-estimation capabilities based on signal parameters are assumed in this problem. Three variants of the Kalman filter family are applied in this context: the regular Kalman filter, the alpha-beta filter, and the unscented Kalman filter. The study enclosed hereafter comprises both field tests and simulations. Field tests were used mainly to assess the challenges related to power supply and operation in extreme conditions as well as to model nodes and some aspects of their operation in the application scenario. These models are the basics of the simulations developed later. The overall system performance is analyzed according to three metrics: number of detections per kinetic node, accuracy, and latency. The links between these metrics and the operational conditions are also discussed and characterized statistically. Subsequently, such statistical characterization is used to forecast performance figures given specific operational parameters. In tracking, also studied via simulations, nonlinear relationships are found between accuracy and duty cycles and cluster sizes of battery-operated nodes. The solution presented may be more complex in terms of network structure than existing solutions based on GPS collars. However, its main gain lies on taking advantage of users' error tolerance to reduce costs and become more environmentally friendly by diminishing the potential amount of batteries that can be lost. Whether it is applicable or not depends ultimately on the conditions and requirements imposed by users' needs and operational environments, which is, as it has been explained, one of the topics of this Thesis.

The city as a learning gamified platform

The area of mobile city guides has grown really fast in the last years based on new mobile capabilities. This growth has been fostered by the evolution of ubiquitous systems and the great penetration of smartphones in the society. In this paper we propose a generic model to support a new way of visiting the city: instead of as a place for tourism, we see it as a place for learning in which located educational resources are available for end users. The model has been conceived as a way to encourage them to create their own educational tours, in which Learning Points Of Interest are set up to be discovered. Two main use cases are supported by the model: formal (conducted by a teacher) and informal (no educator is related to the learning experience) outdoor mobile learning. Details about the impact of the conjunction of tourism, learning and gamification dimensions in the model design, as well as about the model itself are provided. Finally, a mobile application prototype developed in the context of the FI-CONTENT European project is presented as a proof of concept of the model.

Linear Bayes policy for learning in contextual-bandits

Machine and Statistical Learning techniques are used in almost all online advertisement systems. The problem of discovering which content is more demanded (e.g. receive more clicks) can be modeled as a multi-armed bandit problem. Contextual bandits (i.e., bandits with covariates, side information or associative reinforcement learning) associate, to each specific content, several features that define the “context” in which it appears (e.g. user, web page, time, region). This problem can be studied in the stochastic/statistical setting by means of the conditional probability paradigm using the Bayes’ theorem. However, for very large contextual information and/or real-time constraints, the exact calculation of the Bayes’ rule is computationally infeasible. In this article, we present a method that is able to handle large contextual information for learning in contextual-bandits problems. This method was tested in the Challenge on Yahoo! dataset at ICML2012’s Workshop “new Challenges for Exploration & Exploitation 3”, obtaining the second place. Its basic exploration policy is deterministic in the sense that for the same input data (as a time-series) the same results are obtained. We address the deterministic exploration vs. exploitation issue, explaining the way in which the proposed method deterministically finds an effective dynamic trade-off based solely in the input-data, in contrast to other methods that use a random number generator.

University Networking in Developing Countries based on C4D-Learning

In recent years, the establishment of cooperation networks between universities is one of the most important trends in higher education all over the world. Well recognized local and international university networks have been implemented in most educational institutions. It is common to find associations of various prestigious universities collaborating in a high-­‐technology research project including a very specialized teaching as well. This is the most common cooperation networks among higher education institutions in developed countries. An increasingly common type of networking between developed and developing universities is related to cooperation for development. This is the case of many universities in Africa that are needed for external help in order to improve its capabilities. Numerous memorandums of understanding regarding first world institutions that collaborate with universities in developing countries describe contributions of eventual visiting professors, teaching material and courses. But probably there exist another type of more important, but less explored association, such as networking among developing universities. The new goal, in this case, is not only the excellence but also the mutual development.

A telecom analytics framework for dynamic quality of service management

Since the beginning of Internet, Internet Service Providers (ISP) have seen the need of giving to users? traffic different treatments defined by agree- ments between ISP and customers. This procedure, known as Quality of Service Management, has not much changed in the last years (DiffServ and Deep Pack-et Inspection have been the most chosen mechanisms). However, the incremen-tal growth of Internet users and services jointly with the application of recent Ma- chine Learning techniques, open up the possibility of going one step for-ward in the smart management of network traffic. In this paper, we first make a survey of current tools and techniques for QoS Management. Then we intro-duce clustering and classifying Machine Learning techniques for traffic charac-terization and the concept of Quality of Experience. Finally, with all these com-ponents, we present a brand new framework that will manage in a smart way Quality of Service in a telecom Big Data based scenario, both for mobile and fixed communications.

Design, development and evaluation of a portable recording system to capture dynamic presentations using the teacher's tablet PC

Computers and multimedia equipment have improved a lot in the last years. They have reduced their cost and size while at the same time increased their capabilities. These improvements allowed us to design and implement a portable recording system that also integrates the teacher´s tablet PC to capture what he/she writes on the slides and all that happens in it. This paper explains this system in detail and the validation of the recordings that we did after using it to record all the lectures the “Communications Software” course in our university. The results show that pupils used the recordings for different purposes and consider them useful for a variety of things, especially after missing a lecture.

An interactive web-based learning assistant for structural analysis of continuous beams

There are significant levels of concern about the relevance and the difficulty of learning some issues on Strength of Materials and Structural Analysis. Most students of Continuum Mechanics and Structural Analysis in Civil Engineering usually point out some key learning aspects as especially difficult for acquiring specific skills. These key concepts entail comprehension difficulties but ease access and applicability to structural analysis in more advanced subjects. Likewise, some elusive but basic structural concepts, such as flexibility, stiffness or influence lines, are paramount for developing further skills required for advanced structural design: tall buildings, arch-type structures as well as bridges. As new curricular itineraries are currently being implemented, it appears appropriate to devise a repository of interactive web-based applications for training in those basic concepts. That will hopefully train the student to understand the complexity of such concepts, to develop intuitive knowledge on actual structural response and to improve their preparation for exams. In this work, a web-based learning assistant system for influence lines on continuous beams is presented. It consists of a collection of interactive user-friendly applications accessible via Web. It is performed in both Spanish and English languages. Rather than a “black box” system, the procedure involves open interaction with the student, who can simulate and virtually envisage the structural response. Thus, the student is enabled to set the geometric, topologic and mechanic layout of a continuous beam and to change or shift the loading and the support conditions. Simultaneously, the changes in the beam response prompt on the screen, so that the effects of the several issues involved in structural analysis become apparent. The system is performed through a set of web pages which encompasses interactive exercises and problems, written in JavaScript under JQuery and DyGraphs frameworks, given that their efficiency and graphic capabilities are renowned. Students can freely boost their self-study on this subject in order to face their exams more confidently. Besides, this collection is expected to be added to the "Virtual Lab of Continuum Mechanics" of the UPM, launched in 2013 (http://serviciosgate.upm.es/laboratoriosvirtuales/laboratorios/medios-continuos-en-construcci%C3%B3n)

Dynamic media stream mobility with TURN

Multi party videoconference systems use MCU (Multipoint Control Unit) devices to forward media streams. In this paper we describe a mechanism that allows the mobility of such streams between MCU devices. This mobility is especially useful when redistribution of streams is needed due to scalability requirements. These requirements are mandatory in Cloud scenarios to adapt the number of MCUs and their capabilities to variations in the user demand. Our mechanism is based on TURN (Traversal Using Relay around NAT) standard and adapts MICE (Mobility with ICE) specification to the requirements of this kind of scenarios. We conclude that this mechanism achieves the stream mobility in a transparent way for client nodes and without interruptions for the users.

Lateral Dynamic Models for High-Speed Railway Bridges and Vehicles

The analysis of the running safety of railway vehicles on viaducts subject to strong lateral actions such as cross winds requires coupled nonlinear vehicle-bridge interaction models, capable to study extreme events. In this paper original models developed by the authors are described, based on finite elements for the structure, multibody and finite element models for the vehicle, and specially developed interaction elements for the interface between wheel and rail. The models have been implemented within ABAQUS and have full nonlinear capabilities for the structure, the vehicle and the contact interface. An application is developed for the Ulla Viaduct, a 105 m tall arch in the Spanish high-speed railway network. The dynamic analyses allow obtaining critical wind curves, which define the running safety conditions for a given train in terms of speed of circulation and wind speed

A Semantic Approach to Problem-Based Learning with Conceptual Models

El aprendizaje basado en problemas se lleva aplicando con éxito durante las últimas tres décadas en un amplio rango de entornos de aprendizaje. Este enfoque educacional consiste en proponer problemas a los estudiantes de forma que puedan aprender sobre un dominio particular mediante el desarrollo de soluciones a dichos problemas. Si esto se aplica al modelado de conocimiento, y en particular al basado en Razonamiento Cualitativo, las soluciones a los problemas pasan a ser modelos que representan el compotamiento del sistema dinámico propuesto. Por lo tanto, la tarea del estudiante en este caso es acercar su modelo inicial (su primer intento de representar el sistema) a los modelos objetivo que proporcionan soluciones al problema, a la vez que adquieren conocimiento sobre el dominio durante el proceso. En esta tesis proponemos KaiSem, un método que usa tecnologías y recursos semánticos para guiar a los estudiantes durante el proceso de modelado, ayudándoles a adquirir tanto conocimiento como sea posible sin la directa supervisión de un profesor. Dado que tanto estudiantes como profesores crean sus modelos de forma independiente, estos tendrán diferentes terminologías y estructuras, dando lugar a un conjunto de modelos altamente heterogéneo. Para lidiar con tal heterogeneidad, proporcionamos una técnica de anclaje semántico para determinar, de forma automática, enlaces entre la terminología libre usada por los estudiantes y algunos vocabularios disponibles en la Web de Datos, facilitando con ello la interoperabilidad y posterior alineación de modelos. Por último, proporcionamos una técnica de feedback semántico para comparar los modelos ya alineados y generar feedback basado en las posibles discrepancias entre ellos. Este feedback es comunicado en forma de sugerencias individualizadas que el estudiante puede utilizar para acercar su modelo a los modelos objetivos en cuanto a su terminología y estructura se refiere. ABSTRACT Problem-based learning has been successfully applied over the last three decades to a diverse range of learning environments. This educational approach consists of posing problems to learners, so they can learn about a particular domain by developing solutions to them. When applied to conceptual modeling, and particularly to Qualitative Reasoning, the solutions to problems are models that represent the behavior of a dynamic system. Therefore, the learner's task is to move from their initial model, as their first attempt to represent the system, to the target models that provide solutions to that problem while acquiring domain knowledge in the process. In this thesis we propose KaiSem, a method for using semantic technologies and resources to scaffold the modeling process, helping the learners to acquire as much domain knowledge as possible without direct supervision from the teacher. Since learners and experts create their models independently, these will have different terminologies and structure, giving rise to a pool of models highly heterogeneous. To deal with such heterogeneity, we provide a semantic grounding technique to automatically determine links between the unrestricted terminology used by learners and some online vocabularies of the Web of Data, thus facilitating the interoperability and later alignment of the models. Lastly, we provide a semantic-based feedback technique to compare the aligned models and generate feedback based on the possible discrepancies. This feedback is communicated in the form of individualized suggestions, which can be used by the learner to bring their model closer in terminology and structure to the target models.

A framework for adaptive e-learning for continuum mechanics and structural analysis

This paper presents a project for providing the students of Structural Engineering with the flexibility to learn outside classroom schedules. The goal is a framework for adaptive E-learning based on a repository of open educational courseware with a set of basic Structural Engineering concepts and fundamentals. These are paramount for students to expand their technical knowledge and skills in structural analysis and design of tall buildings, arch-type structures as well as bridges. Thus, concepts related to structural behaviour such as linearity, compatibility, stiffness and influence lines have traditionally been elusive for students. The objective is to facilitate the student a teachinglearning process to acquire the necessary intuitive knowledge, cognitive skills and the basis for further technological modules and professional development in this area. As a side effect, the system is expected to help the students improve their preparation for exams on the subject. In this project, a web-based open-source system for studying influence lines on continuous beams is presented. It encompasses a collection of interactive user-friendly applications accessible via Web, written in JavaScript under JQuery and Dygraph Libraries, taking advantage of their efficiency and graphic capabilities. It is performed in both Spanish and English languages. The student is enabled to set the geometric, topologic, boundary and mechanic layout of a continuous beam. While changing the loading and the support conditions, the changes in the beam response prompt on the screen, so that the effects of the several issues involved in structural analysis become apparent. This open interaction with the user allows the student to simulate and virtually infer the structural response. Different levels of complexity can be handled, whereas an ongoing help is at hand for any of them. Students can freely boost their experiential learning on this subject at their own pace, in order to further share, process, generalize and apply the relevant essential concepts of Structural Engineering analysis. Besides, this collection is being added to the "Virtual Lab of Continuum Mechanics" of the UPM, launched in 2013 (http://serviciosgate.upm.es/laboratoriosvirtuales/laboratorios/medios-continuos-en-construcci%C3%B3n)

Plataformas experimentales para la formación en el área de la electrónica en entornos de e-learning

El campo de estudio relacionado con los laboratorios remotos en el ámbito educativo de las ciencias y la ingeniería está sufriendo una notable expansión ante la necesidad de adaptar los procesos de aprendizaje en dichas áreas a las características y posibilidades de la formación online. Muchos de los recursos educativos basados en esta tecnología, existentes en la actualidad, presentan ciertas limitaciones que impiden alcanzar las competencias que se deben adquirir en los laboratorios de ingeniería. Estas limitaciones están relacionadas con diferentes aspectos de carácter técnico y formativo. A nivel técnico las limitaciones principales se centran en el grado de versatilidad que son capaces de proporcionar comparado con el que se dispone en un laboratorio tradicional y en el modo de interacción del usuario, que provoca que el estudiante no distinga claramente si está realizando acciones sobre sistemas reales o simulaciones. A nivel formativo las limitaciones detectadas son relevantes para poder alcanzar un aprendizaje significativo. En concreto están relacionadas principalmente con un escaso sentimiento de inmersión, una reducida sensación de realismo respecto a las operaciones que se realizan o la limitada posibilidad de realizar actividades de forma colaborativa. La aparición de nuevas tecnologías basadas en entornos inmersivos, unida a los avances producidos relacionados con el aumento de la capacidad gráfica de los ordenadores y del ancho de banda de acceso a Internet, han hecho factible que las limitaciones comentadas anteriormente puedan ser superadas gracias al desarrollo de nuevos recursos de aprendizaje surgidos de la fusión de laboratorios remotos y mundos virtuales 3D. Esta tesis doctoral aborda un trabajo de investigación centrado en proponer un modelo de plataformas experimentales, basado en la fusión de las dos tecnologías mencionadas, que permita generar recursos educativos online que faciliten la adquisición de competencias prácticas similares a las que se consiguen en un laboratorio tradicional vinculado a la enseñanza de la electrónica. El campo de aplicación en el que se ha focalizado el trabajo realizado se ha centrado en el área de la electrónica aunque los resultados de la investigación realizada se podrían adaptar fácilmente a otras disciplinas de la ingeniería. Fruto del trabajo realizado en esta tesis es el desarrollo de la plataforma eLab3D, basada en el modelo de plataformas experimentales propuesto, y la realización de dos estudios empíricos llevados a cabo con estudiantes de grado en ingeniería, muy demandados por la comunidad investigadora. Por un lado, la plataforma eLab3D, que permite llevar a cabo de forma remota actividades prácticas relacionadas con el diseño, montaje y prueba de circuitos electrónicos analógicos, aporta como novedad un dispositivo hardware basado en un sistema de conmutación distribuido. Dicho sistema proporciona un nivel de versatilidad muy elevado, a nivel de configuración de circuitos y selección de puntos de medida, que hace posible la realización de acciones similares a las que se llevan a cabo en los laboratorios presenciales. Por otra parte, los estudios empíricos realizados, que comparaban la eficacia educativa de una metodología de aprendizaje online, basada en el uso de la plataforma eLab3D, con la conseguida siguiendo una metodología clásica en los laboratorios tradicionales, mostraron que no se detectaron diferencias significativas en el grado de adquisición de los resultados de aprendizaje entre los estudiantes que utilizaron la plataforma eLab3D y los que asistieron a los laboratorios presenciales. Por último, hay que destacar dos aspectos relevantes relacionados directamente con esta tesis. En primer lugar, los resultados obtenidos en las experiencias educativas llevadas a cabo junto a valoraciones obtenidas por el profesorado que ha colaborado en las mismas han sido decisivos para que la plataforma eLab3D se haya integrado como recurso complementario de aprendizaje en titulaciones de grado de ingeniería de la Universidad Politécnica de Madrid. En segundo lugar, el modelo de plataformas experimentales que se ha propuesto en esta tesis, analizado por investigadores vinculados a proyectos en el ámbito de la fusión nuclear, ha sido tomado como referencia para generar nuevas herramientas de formación en dicho campo. ABSTRACT The field of study of remote laboratories in sciences and engineering educational disciplines is undergoing a remarkable expansion given the need to adapt the learning processes in the aforementioned areas to the characteristics and possibilities of online education. Several of the current educational resources based on this technology have certain limitations that prevent from reaching the required competencies in engineering laboratories. These limitations are related to different aspects of technical and educational nature. At the technical level, they are centered on the degree of versatility they are able to provide compared to a traditional laboratory and in the way the user interacts with them, which causes the student to not clearly distinguish if actions are being performed over real systems or over simulations. At the educational level, the detected limitations are relevant in order to reach a meaningful learning. In particular, they are mainly related to a scarce immersion feeling, a reduced realism sense regarding the operations performed or the limited possibility to carry out activities in a collaborative way. The appearance of new technologies based on immersive environments, together with the advances in graphical computer capabilities and Internet bandwidth access, have made the previous limitations feasible to be overcome thanks to the development of new learning resources that arise from merging remote laboratories and 3D virtual worlds. This PhD thesis tackles a research work focused on the proposal of an experimental platform model, based on the fusion of both mentioned technologies, which allows for generating online educational resources that facilitate the acquisition of practical competencies similar to those obtained in a traditional electronics laboratory. The application field, in which this work is focused, is electronics, although the research results could be easily adapted to other engineering disciplines. A result of this work is the development of eLab3D platform, based on the experimental platform model proposed, and the realization of two empirical studies with undergraduate students, highly demanded by research community. On one side, eLab3D platform, which allows to accomplish remote practical activities related to the design, assembling and test of analog electronic circuits, provides, as an original contribution, a hardware device based on a distributed switching system. This system offers a high level of versatility, both at the circuit configuration level and at the selection of measurement points, which allows for doing similar actions to those conducted in hands-on laboratories. On the other side, the empirical studies carried out, which compare the educational efficiency of an online learning methodology based on the use of eLab3D platform with that obtained following a classical methodology in traditional laboratories, shows that no significant differences in the acquired degree of learning outcomes among the students that used eLab3D platform and those that attended hands-on laboratories were detected. Finally, it is important to highlight two relevant aspects directly related with this thesis work. First of all, the results obtained in the educational experiences conducted, along with the assessment from the faculty that has collaborated in them, have been decisive to integrate eLab3D platform as a supplementary learning resource in engineering degrees at Universidad Politecnica de Madrid. Secondly, the experimental platform model originally proposed in this thesis, which has been analysed by nuclear fusion researchers, has been taken as a reference to generate new educational tools in that field.

Mobile assisted language learning : prototipo de la aplicación UP2B2

La forma de consumir contenidos en Internet ha cambiado durante los últimos años. Inicialmente se empleaban webs estáticas y con contenidos pobres visualmente. Con la evolución de las redes de comunicación, esta tendencia ha variado. A día de hoy, deseamos páginas agradables, accesibles y que nos presenten temas variados. Todo esto ha cambiado la forma de crear páginas web y en todos los casos se persigue el objetivo de atraer a los usuarios. El gran auge de los smartphones y las aplicaciones móviles que invaden el mercado actual han revolucionado el mundo del estudio de los idiomas permitiendo compatibilizar los recursos punteros con el aprendizaje tradicional. La popularidad de los dispositivos móviles y de las aplicaciones ha sido el principal motivo de la realización de este proyecto. En él se realizará un análisis de las diferentes tecnologías existentes y se elegirá la mejor opción que se ajuste a nuestras necesidades para poder desarrollar un sistema que implemente el enfoque llamado Mobile Assisted Language Learning (MALL) que supone una aproximación innovadora al aprendizaje de idiomas con la ayuda de un dispositivo móvil. En este documento se va a ofrecer una panorámica general acerca del desarrollo de aplicaciones para dispositivos móviles en el entorno del e-learning. Se estudiarán características técnicas de diferentes plataformas seleccionando la mejor opción para la implementación de un sistema que proporcione los contenidos básicos para el aprendizaje de un idioma, en este caso del inglés, de forma intuitiva y divertida. Dicho sistema permitirá al usuario mejorar su nivel de inglés mediante una interfaz web de forma dinámica y cercana empleando los recursos que ofrecen los dispositivos móviles y haciendo uso del diseño adaptativo. Este proyecto está pensado para los usuarios que dispongan de poco tiempo libre para realizar un curso de forma presencial o, mejor aún, para reforzar o repasar contenidos ya aprendidos por otros medios más tradicionales o no. La aplicación ofrece la posibilidad de que se haga uso del sistema de forma fácil y sencilla desde cualquier dispositivo móvil del que se disponga como es un smartphone, tablet o un ordenador personal, compitiendo con otros usuarios o contra uno mismo y mejorando así el nivel de partida a través de las actividades propuestas. Durante el proyecto se han comparado diversas soluciones, la mayoría de código abierto y de libre distribución que permiten desplegar servicios de almacenamiento accesibles mediante Internet. Se concluirá con un caso práctico analizando los requisitos técnicos y llevando a cabo las fases de análisis, diseño, creación de la base de datos, implementación y pruebas dentro del ciclo de vida del software. Finalmente, se migrará la aplicación con toda la información a un servidor en la nube. ABSTRACT. The way of consuming content on the Internet has changed over the past years. Initially, static websites were used with poor visual contents. Nevertheless, with the evolution of communication networks this trend has changed. Nowadays, we expect pleasant, accessible and varied topic pages and such expectations have changed the way to create web pages generally aiming at appealing and therefore, attracting users. The great boom of smartphones and mobile applications in the current market, have revolutionized the world of language learning as they make it possible to combine computing with traditional learning resources. The popularity of mobile devices and applications has been the main reason for the development of this project. Here, the different existing technologies will be examined and we will try to select the best option that adapts to our needs in order to develop a system that implements Mobile Assisted Language Learning (MALL) that in broad terms implies an approach to language learning with the help of a mobile device. This report provides an overview of the development of applications for mobile devices in the e-learning environment. We will study the technical characteristics of different platforms and we will select the best option for the implementation of a system that provide the basic content for learning a language, in this case English, by means of an intuitive and fun method. This system will allow the user to improve their level of English with a web interface in a dynamic and close way employing the resources offered by mobile devices using the adaptive design. This project is intended for users who do not have enough free time to make a classroom course or to review contents from more traditional courses as it offers the possibility to make use of the system quickly and easily from any mobile device available such as a smartphone, a tablet or a personal computer, competing with other users or against oneself and thus improving their departing level through different activities. During the project, different solutions have been compared. Most of them, open source and free distribution that allow to deploy storage services accessible via the Internet. It will conclude with a case study analyzing the technical requirements and conducting phases of analysis, design and creation of a database, implementation and testing in the software lifecycle. Finally, the application will be migrated with all the information to a server in the cloud.

Self-Learning Embedded System for Object Identification in Intelligent Infrastructure Sensors

The emergence of new horizons in the field of travel assistant management leads to the development of cutting-edge systems focused on improving the existing ones. Moreover, new opportunities are being also presented since systems trend to be more reliable and autonomous. In this paper, a self-learning embedded system for object identification based on adaptive-cooperative dynamic approaches is presented for intelligent sensor’s infrastructures. The proposed system is able to detect and identify moving objects using a dynamic decision tree. Consequently, it combines machine learning algorithms and cooperative strategies in order to make the system more adaptive to changing environments. Therefore, the proposed system may be very useful for many applications like shadow tolls since several types of vehicles may be distinguished, parking optimization systems, improved traffic conditions systems, etc.