CMOS indoor light energy harvesting system for wireless sensing applications

This book discusses in detail the CMOS implementation of energy harvesting. The authors describe an integrated, indoor light energy harvesting system, based on a controller circuit that dynamically and automatically adjusts its operation to meet the actual light circumstances of the environment where the system is placed. The system is intended to power a sensor node, enabling an autonomous wireless sensor network (WSN). Although designed to cope with indoor light levels, the system is also able to work with higher levels, making it an all-round light energy harvesting system. The discussion includes experimental data obtained from an integrated manufactured prototype, which in conjunction with a photovoltaic (PV) cell, serves as a proof of concept of the desired energy harvesting system. © 2016 Springer International Publishing. All rights are reserved.

Anthropocentric-based robotic and autonomous systems: assessment for new organisational options

Text based on the paper presented at the Conference "Autonomous systems: inter-relations of technical and societal issues" held at Monte de Caparica (Portugal), Universidade Nova de Lisboa, November, 5th and 6th 2009 and organized by IET-Research Centre on Enterprise and Work Innovation

Modelo de controlo difuso de um sistema de produção de energia com base em recursos renováveis

A satisfação das necessidades energéticas mundiais, cada vez mais exigentes, bem como a necessidade urgente de procurar caminhos que permitam usufruir de energia, da forma menos poluente possível, levam à necessidade de serem explorados caminhos que permitam cumprir estes pressupostos. A escolha da utilização das energias renováveis na produção de energia, torna-se cada vez mais interessante, quer do ponto de vista ambiental quer económico. O fundamento da lógica difusa está associado à recolha de informações vagas, que são no fundo uma linguagem falada por seres humanos, possibilitando a passagem deste tipo de linguagem para formato numérico, permitindo assim uma manipulação computacional. Elementos climáticos como o sol e o vento, podem ser descritos em forma de variáveis linguísticas, como é o caso de vento forte, temperatura baixa, irradiação fraca, etc. Isto faz com que a aplicação de um controlo a partir destes fenómenos, justifique ser realizado com recurso a sistemas de inferência difusa. Para a realização do trabalho proposto, foram consumados estudos relativos às energias renováveis, com particular enfoque na solar e na eólica. Também foi realizado um estudo dos conceitos pertencentes à lógica difusa e a sistemas de inferência difusa com o objetivo de perceber os diversos parâmetros constituintes desta matéria. Foi realizado o estudo e desenvolvimento de um sistema de aquisição de dados, bem como do controlador difuso que é o busílis do trabalho descrito neste relatório. Para tal, o trabalho foi efetuado com o recurso ao software MATLAB, a partir do qual foram desenvolvidas aplicações que possibilitaram a obtenção de dados climáticos, com vista à sua utilização na toolbox Fuzzy Logic a qual foi utilizada para o desenvolvimento de todo o algoritmo de controlo. Com a possibilidade de aquisição de dados concluída e das variáveis que iriam ser necessárias definidas, foi implementado o controlador difuso que foi sendo sintonizado ao longo do trabalho por forma a garantir os melhores resultados possíveis. Com o recurso à ferramenta Guide, também do MATLAB, foi criada a interface do sistema com o utilizador, sendo possível a averiguação da energia a ser produzida, bem como das contribuições de cada uma das fontes de energia renováveis para a obtenção dessa mesma energia. Por último, foi feita uma análise de resultados através da comparação entre os valores reais esperados e os valores obtidos pelo controlador difuso, bem como assinaladas conclusões e possibilidades de desenvolvimentos futuros deste trabalho.

Synthesis about a collaborative project on “Technology Assessment of Autonomous System

The project started in 2009 with the support of DAAD in Germany and CRUP in Portugal under the “Collaborative German-Portuguese University Actions” programme. One central goal is the further development of a theory of technology assessment applied to robotics and autonomous systems in general that reflects in its methodology the changing conditions of knowledge production in modern societies and the emergence of new robotic technologies and of associated disruptive changes. Relevant topics here are handling broadened future horizons and new clusters of science and technology (medicine, engineering, interfaces, industrial automation, micro-devices, security and safety), as well as new governance structures in policy decision making concerning research and development (R

Autonomous bathymetry for risk assessment with ROAZ robotic surface vehicle

The use of unmanned marine robotic vehicles in bathymetric surveys is discussed. This paper presents recent results in autonomous bathymetric missions with the ROAZ autonomous surface vehicle. In particular, robotic surface vehicles such as ROAZ provide an efficient tool in risk assessment for shallow water environments and water land interface zones as the near surf zone in marine coast. ROAZ is an ocean capable catamaran for distinct oceanographic missions, and with the goal to fill the gap were other hydrographic surveys vehicles/systems are not compiled to operate, like very shallow water rivers and marine coastline surf zones. Therefore, the use of robotic systems for risk assessment is validated through several missions performed either in river scenario (in a very shallow water conditions) and in marine coastlines.

Manoeuvre Based Mission Control System for an Autonomous Surface Vehicle

In this work the mission control and supervision system developed for the ROAZ Autonomous Surface Vehicle is presented. Complexity in mission requirements coupled with flexibility lead to the design of a modular hierarchical mission control system based on hybrid systems control. Monitoring and supervision control for a vehicle such as ROAZ mission is not an easy task using tools with low complexity and yet powerful enough. A set of tools were developed to perform both on board mission control and remote planning and supervision. “ROAZ- Mission Control” was developed to be used in support to bathymetric and security missions performed in river and at seas.

A Real Time Vision System for Autonomous Systems: Characterization during a Middle Size Match

in RoboCup 2007: Robot Soccer World Cup XI

ROAZ and ROAZ II Autonomous Surface Vehicle Design and Implementation

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

Forest fire detection with a small fixed wing autonomous aerial vehicle

In this work a forest fire detection solution using small autonomous aerial vehicles is proposed. The FALCOS unmanned aerial vehicle developed for remote-monitoring purposes is described. This is a small size UAV with onboard vision processing and autonomous flight capabilities. A set of custom developed navigation sensors was developed for the vehicle. Fire detection is performed through the use of low cost digital cameras and near-infrared sensors. Test results for navigation and ignition detection in real scenario are presented.

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

Autonomous guided vehicles applied to industrial engineering and management studies

This article presents a framework to an Industrial Engineering and Management Science course from School of Management and Industrial Studies using Autonomous Ground Vehicles (AGV) to supply materials to a production line as an experimental setup for the students to acquire knowledge in the production robotics area. The students must be capable to understand and put into good use several concepts that will be of utmost importance in their professional life such as critical decisions regarding the study, development and implementation of a production line. The main focus is a production line using AGVs, where the students are required to address several topics such as: sensors actuators, controllers and an high level management and optimization software. The presented framework brings to the robotics teaching community methodologies that allow students from different backgrounds, that normally don’t experiment with the robotics concepts in practice due to the big gap between theory and practice, to go straight to ”making” robotics. Our aim was to suppress the minimum start point level thus allowing any student to fully experience robotics with little background knowledge.

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.