ROAZ and ROAZ II Autonomous Surface Vehicle Design and Implementation

International Lifesaving Congress 2007, La Coruna, Spain, December, 2007

ROAZ Autonomous Surface Vehicle Design and Implementation

The design of an Autonomous Surface Vehicle for operation in river and estuarine scenarios is presented. Multiple operations with autonomous underwater vehicles and support to AUV missions are one of the main design goals in the ROAZ system. The mechanical design issues are discussed. Hardware, software and implementation status are described along with the control and navigation system architecture. Some preliminary test results concerning a custom developed thruster are presented along with hydrodynamic drag calculations by the use of computer fluid dynamic methods.

Swordfish: an Autonomous Surface Vehicle for Network Centric Operations

The design and development of the swordfish autonomous surface vehicle (ASV) system is discussed. Swordfish is an ocean capable 4.5 m long catamaran designed for network centric operations (with ocean and air going vehicles and human operators). In the basic configuration, Swordfish is both a survey vehicle and a communications node with gateways for broadband, Wi-Fi and GSM transports and underwater acoustic modems. In another configuration, Swordfish mounts a docking station for the autonomous underwater vehicle Isurus from Porto University. Swordfish has an advanced control architecture for multi-vehicle operations with mixed initiative interactions (human operators are allowed to interact with the control loops).

Autonomous Surface Vehicle Docking Manoeuvre with Visual Information

This work presents a hybrid coordinated manoeuvre for docking an autonomous surface vehicle with an autonomous underwater vehicle. The control manoeuvre uses visual information to estimate the AUV relative position and attitude in relation to the ASV and steers the ASV in order to dock with the AUV. The AUV is assumed to be at surface with only a small fraction of its volume visible. The system implemented in the autonomous surface vehicle ROAZ, developed by LSA-ISEP to perform missions in river environment, test autonomous AUV docking capabilities and multiple AUV/ASV coordinated missions is presented. Information from a low cost embedded robotics vision system (LSAVision), along with inertial navigation sensors is fused in an extended Kalman filter and used to determine AUV relative position and orientation to the surface vehicle The real time vision processing system is described and results are presented in operational scenario.

Marine Operations with the SWORDFISH Autonomous Surface Vehicle

IEEE Robótica 2007 - 7th Conference on Mobile Robots and Competitions, Paderne, Portugal 2007

Estudo da Distribuição de Factores de Risco para o Desenvolvimento de Doença Ocular Aguda em Portadores de Lentes de Contacto

Objectivo: Estudar os factores de risco (FR) associados a complicações clínicas agudas (CCA) numa amostra de portadores de lentes de contacto (LC). Doentes e Métodos: Análise de todos os doentes com CCA associadas ao uso de LC, que, no período de um ano, recorreram ao SU do Centro Hospitalar de Lisboa Central. O estudo focou-se na análise do perfil demográfico e de risco destes doentes. Resultados: Dos 103 doentes referenciados pelo SU foram estudados os que compareceram para seguimento no Departamento de Contactologia (84). A maioria era do sexo feminino, caucasiana e de educação diferenciada. A mediana das idades foi de 29 anos. 15% dos doentes cumpria as horas de uso diário recomendadas e 5% cumpria todas as regras de higiene; 26% dos doentes apresentavam FR oftalmológicos e 58% FR sistémicos. O prescritor das LC foi o médico em 36% e 26% mantinha vigilância médica oftalmológica regular. Comentários: A maioria dos doentes não cumpria as regras de segurança e de higiene do uso de LC, sendo o desconhecimento destas regras elevado. O papel muito reduzido dos médicos oftalmologistas na prescrição de LC e na vigilância dos portadores pode estar na origem do desconhecimento e incumprimento das regras de utilização das LC por parte de alguns doentes.

Psychosocial Morbidity and its Correlates in Cancer Patients of the Mediterranean Area: Findings from the Southern European Psycho-Oncology Study

BACKGROUND: A few and partial data are available on psychosocial morbidity among cancer patients in Mediterranean countries. As a part of a more general investigation (Southern European Psycho-Oncology Study-SEPOS), the rate of psychosocial morbidity and its correlation with clinical and cultural variables were examined in cancer patients in Italy, Portugal and Spain. METHODS: A convenience sample of cancer outpatients with good performance status and no cognitive impairment were approached. The Hospital Anxiety-Depression scale (HAD-S), the Mini-Mental Adjustment to Cancer scale (Mini-MAC), and the Cancer Worries Inventory (CWI) were used to measure psychological morbidity, coping strategies and concerns about illness. RESULTS: Of 277 patients, 34% had pathological scores ("borderline cases" plus "true cases") on HAD-S Anxiety and 24.9% on HAD-S Depression. Total psychiatric "caseness" was 28.5% and 16.6%, according to different HAD cut-offs (14 and 19, respectively). Significant relationships of HAD-S Anxiety, HAD-S Depression, HAD-S Total score, with Mini-MAC Hopeless and Anxious Preoccupation, and CWI score were found. No differences emerged between countries on psychosocial morbidity, while some differences emerged between the countries on coping mechanisms. Furthermore, Fatalism, Avoidance and marginally Hopeless were higher compared to studies carried out in English-speaking countries. LIMITATIONS: The relatively small sample size and the good performance status prevent us to generalize data on patients with different cancer sites and advanced phase of illness. CONCLUSIONS: One-third of the patients presented anxiety and depressive morbidity, with significant differences in characteristics of coping in Mediterranean countries in comparison with English-speaking countries.

Carbon key-properties for microcystin adsorption in drinking water treatment: structure or surface chemistry?

Dissertação para Obtenção de Grau de Mestre em Engenharia Química e Bioquímica

Renal involvement in human rabies: clinical manifestations and autopsy findings of nine cases from northeast of Brazil

A retrospective study was conducted in nine patients with rabies admitted to a hospital of Fortaleza, Brazil. Autopsy was performed in all cases. The ages ranged from three to 81 years and six were males. They all were bitten by dogs. The time between the accident and the hospital admission ranged from 20 to 120 days (mean 45 ± 34 days). The time until death ranged from one to nine days (mean 3.3 ± 5.5 days). The signs and symptoms presented were fever, hydrophobia, aerophobia, agitation, disorientation, dyspnea, sialorrhea, vomiting, oliguria, sore throat, pain and hypoesthesia in the site of the bite, headache, syncope, cough, hematemesis, mydriasis, hematuria, constipation, cervical pain and priapism. In three out of six patients, there was evidence of acute renal failure, defined as serum creatinine > 1.4 mg/dL. The post-mortem findings in the kidneys were mild to moderate glomerular congestion and mild to intense peritubular capillary congestion. Acute tubular necrosis was seen in only two cases. This study shows some evidence of renal involvement in rabies. Histopathologic findings are nonspecific, so hemodynamic instability, caused by autonomic dysfunction, hydrophobia and dehydration must be responsible for acute renal failure in rabies.

Environmental modeling with precision navigation using ROAZ autonomous surface vehicle

The use of robotic vehicles for environmental modeling is discussed. This paper presents diverse results in autonomous marine missions with the ROAZ autonomous surface vehicle. The vehicle can perform autonomous missions while gathering marine data with high inertial and positioning precision. The underwater world is an, economical and environmental, asset that need new tools to study and preserve it. ROAZ is used in marine environment missions since it can sense and monitor the surface and underwater scenarios. Is equipped with a diverse set of sensors, cameras and underwater sonars that generate 3D environmental models. It is used for study the marine life and possible underwater wrecks that can pollute or be a danger to marine navigation. The 3D model and integration of multibeam and sidescan sonars represent a challenge in nowadays. Adding that it is important that robots can explore an area and make decisions based on their surroundings and goals. Regard that, autonomous robotic systems can relieve human beings of repetitive and dangerous tasks.

Consulta de Diabetes Ocular. Primeiros Resultados do Rastreio da Retinopatia Diabética por Câmara Não Midriática

Introdução: a retinopatia diabética (RD) é, nos países industrializados, uma das principais causas de cegueira. A perda de visão na RD diminui com o diagnóstico precoce e instituição terapêutica2 adequada possibilitados por programas de rastreio sistemático. O rastreio efectuado por fotografias do polo posterior com câmara não midriática é simples e apresenta boa sensibilidade e especificidade3. Material e Métodos: estudo prospectivo, observacional, dos doentes diabéticos sem seguimento oftalmológico regular, seguidos na consulta de Medicina do Centro Hospitalar de Lisboa Central desde Setembro de 2008 a Julho de 2009. Incluíram-se 86 doentes. Um ortoptista fez a aquisição de imagens do polo posterior com uma câmara não midriática e a impressão de fotografias compostas, coloridas, que foram posteriormente analisadas por um oftalmologista da consulta de Diabetes Ocular. Resultados: foram excluídos 7 olhos (4,2%) por não existir qualidade de imagem. Identificou-se a existência de RD em 26% dos 165 olhos incluídos ( 28% dos doentes), apresentando 21% RD não proliferativa e 5% proliferativa. Apurou-se uma relação estatisticamente significativa entre a existência de RD, a idade (p= 0,253 x 10-1) e a duração da diabetes (p= 7,16 x 10-5). Relativamente ao encaminhamento, 57,8% foram referenciados para rastreio anual e 42,2% para a Consulta Geral de Oftalmologia. Todos os excluídos foram igualmente encaminhados para a Consulta Geral de Oftalmologia. Conclusões: a percentagem de doentes rastreados que apresentou RD foi elevada (28%). O rastreio sistemático da população diabética com câmara não midriática pareceu-nos ser um método simples e eficaz no despiste da RD.

Impacto do Diâmetro do Nervo Óptico na Amplitude de Pulso Ocular no Glaucoma Primário de Ângulo Aberto

Introdução: A pressão intra-craniana (PIC) tem sido descrita como estando envolvida no glaucoma primário de ângulo aberto (GPAA). A sua avaliação está contudo limitada pela necessidade de métodos invasivos, como a punção lombar. A ecografia ocular permite uma avaliação indirecta da PIC através da medição do diâmetro da bainha do nervo óptico (NO). Desconhece-se se esta nova variável tem capacidade de modular factores de risco normalmente investigados em doentes com GPAA. Objectivo: Avaliar o impacto do diâmetro da bainha do NO na pressão intra-ocular (PIO) e na amplitude de pulso ocular (OPA) de doentes com GPAA. Métodos: Quinze doentes com GPAA foram submetidos a medição da PIO por tonometria de contorno dinâmico, avaliação topográfica do disco óptico e ecografia ocular modo B com sonda doppler. Apenas o olho com maior dano glaucomatoso foi seleccionado por doente. Resultados: A média do diâmetro da bainha do NO foi de 5,6±0,67mm, a PIO média de 17,8±2,2mmHg e a OPA de 3,1±1,7mmHg. O diâmetro da bainha do NO correlacionou-se negativamente a OPA (r=-0.54, p=0.05), não tendo influenciado a PIO (r=-0,25, p=0,41). Da avaliação hemodinâmica, apenas o índice de resistência da artéria central da retina (CRA) foi influenciado pelo diâmetro da bainha do NO (r=-0.52, p=0.04). Conclusão: O diâmetro da bainha do NO correlaciona-se negativamente com a OPA. Este efeito poderá ser explicado pela alteração da resistência vascular da artéria que atravessa este espaço subaracnoideu, a CRA. O estudo da região retrobulbar e do balanço entre as pressões aí exercidas é assim um campo cuja importância será crescente na avaliação do doente com GPAA.

Field experiments for marine casualty detection with autonomous surface vehicles

In this paper we present a set of field tests for detection of human in the water with an unmanned surface vehicle using infrared and color cameras. These experiments aimed to contribute in the development of victim target tracking and obstacle avoidance for unmanned surface vehicles operating in marine search and rescue missions. This research is integrated in the work conducted in the European FP7 research project Icarus aiming to develop robotic tools for large scale rescue operations. The tests consisted in the use of the ROAZ unmanned surface vehicle equipped with a precision GPS system for localization and both visible spectrum and IR cameras to detect the target. In the experimental setup, the test human target was deployed in the water wearing a life vest and a diver suit (thus having lower temperature signature in the body except hands and head) and was equipped with a GPS logger. Multiple target approaches were performed in order to test the system with different sun incidence relative angles. The experimental setup, detection method and preliminary results from the field trials performed in the summer of 2013 in Sesimbra, Portugal and in La Spezia, Italy are also presented in this work.

High-Accuracy Low-Cost RTK-GPS for an Unmanned Surface Vehicle

This work presents a low cost RTK-GPS system for localization of unmanned surface vehicles. The system is based on the use of standard low cost L1 band receivers and in the RTKlib open source software library. Mission scenarios with multiple robotic vehicles are addressed as the ones envisioned in the ICARUS search and rescue case where the possibility of having a moving RTK base on a large USV and multiple smaller vehicles acting as rovers in a local communication network allows for local relative localization with high quality. The approach is validated in operational conditions with results presented for moving base scenario. The system was implemented in the SWIFT USV with the ROAZ autonomous surface vehicle acting as a moving base. This setup allows for the performing of a missions in a wider range of environments and applications such as precise 3D environment modeling in contained areas and multiple robot operations.