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About

About

I am a researcher at the Centre for Robotics and Autonomous Systems (CRAS). In 2008 I received the degree of MS in Electrical and Computer Engineering from the University of Porto. In 2017 I received the degree of PhD in Electrical and Computer Engineering from the University of Porto. My thesis focused in minehunting mission planning using autonomous underwater vehicles. My research activity is mainly focused on robotics in research topics such as path planning and artificial intelligence. I also work as a systems engineer on our vehicles and develop software as required.

Interest
Topics
Details

Details

  • Name

    Nuno Miguel Abreu
  • Role

    Assistant Researcher
  • Since

    01st November 2009
008
Publications

2023

Labelled Indoor Point Cloud Dataset for BIM Related Applications

Authors
Abreu, N; Souza, R; Pinto, A; Matos, A; Pires, M;

Publication
DATA

Abstract
BIM (building information modelling) has gained wider acceptance in the AEC (architecture, engineering, and construction) industry. Conversion from 3D point cloud data to vector BIM data remains a challenging and labour-intensive process, but particularly relevant during various stages of a project lifecycle. While the challenges associated with processing very large 3D point cloud datasets are widely known, there is a pressing need for intelligent geometric feature extraction and reconstruction algorithms for automated point cloud processing. Compared to outdoor scene reconstruction, indoor scenes are challenging since they usually contain high amounts of clutter. This dataset comprises the indoor point cloud obtained by scanning four different rooms (including a hallway): two office workspaces, a workshop, and a laboratory including a water tank. The scanned space is located at the Electrical and Computer Engineering department of the Faculty of Engineering of the University of Porto. The dataset is fully labelled, containing major structural elements like walls, floor, ceiling, windows, and doors, as well as furniture, movable objects, clutter, and scanning noise. The dataset also contains an as-built BIM that can be used as a reference, making it suitable for being used in Scan-to-BIM and Scan-vs-BIM applications. For demonstration purposes, a Scan-vs-BIM change detection application is described, detailing each of the main data processing steps. Dataset: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.7948116 Dataset License: Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0).

2023

Construction progress monitoring - A virtual reality based platform

Authors
Abreu, N; Pinto, A; Matos, A; Pires, M;

Publication
Iberian Conference on Information Systems and Technologies, CISTI

Abstract
Precise construction progress monitoring has been shown to be an essential step towards the successful management of a building project. However, the methods for automated construction progress monitoring proposed in previous work have certain limitations because of inefficient and unrobust point cloud processing. The main objective of this research was to develop an accurate automated method for construction progress monitoring using a 4D BIM together with a 3D point cloud obtained using a terrestrial laser scanner. The proposed method consists of four phases: point cloud simplification, alignment of the as-built data with the as-planned model, classification of the as-built data according to the BIM elements, and estimation of the progress. The accuracy and robustness of the proposed methodology was validated using a known dataset. The developed application can be used for construction progress visualization and analysis. © 2023 ITMA.

2023

Procedural Point Cloud Modelling in Scan-to-BIM and Scan-vs-BIM Applications: A Review

Authors
Abreu, N; Pinto, A; Matos, A; Pires, M;

Publication
ISPRS INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF GEO-INFORMATION

Abstract
Point cloud processing is an essential task in many applications in the AEC domain, such as automated progress assessment, quality control and 3D reconstruction. As much of the procedure used to process the point clouds is shared among these applications, we identify common processing steps and analyse relevant algorithms found in the literature published in the last 5 years. We start by describing current efforts on both progress and quality monitoring and their particular requirements. Then, in the context of those applications, we dive into the specific procedures related to processing point clouds acquired using laser scanners. An emphasis is given to the scan planning process, as it can greatly influence the data collection process and the quality of the data. The data collection phase is discussed, focusing on point cloud data acquired by laser scanning. Its operating mode is explained and the factors that influence its performance are detailed. Data preprocessing methodologies are presented, aiming to introduce techniques used in the literature to, among other aspects, increase the registration performance by identifying and removing redundant data. Geometry extraction techniques are described, concerning both interior and outdoor reconstruction, as well as currently used relationship representation structures. In the end, we identify certain gaps in the literature that may constitute interesting topics for future research. Based on this review, it is evident that a key limitation associated with both Scan-to-BIM and Scan-vs-BIM algorithms is handling missing data due to occlusion, which can be reduced by multi-platform sensor fusion and efficient scan planning. Another limitation is the lack of consideration for laser scanner performance characteristics when planning the scanning operation and the apparent disconnection between the planning and data collection stages. Furthermore, the lack of representative benchmark datasets is hindering proper comparison of Scan-to-BIM and Scan-vs-BIM techniques, as well as the integration of state-of-the-art deep-learning methods that can give a positive contribution in scene interpretation and modelling.

2023

ATLANTIS Coastal Testbed: A near-real playground for the testing and validation of robotics for O&M

Authors
Pinto, AM; Marques, JVA; Abreu, N; Campos, DF; Pereira, MI; Gonçalves, E; Campos, HJ; Pereira, P; Neves, F; Matos, A; Govindaraj, S; Durand, L;

Publication
OCEANS 2023 - LIMERICK

Abstract
The demonstration of robotic technologies in real environments is essential for technology developers and end-users to fully showcase the benefits of theirs solutions, and contributes to the promotion of the transition of inspection and maintenance methodologies towards automated robotic strategies. However, before allowing technologies to be demonstrated in real, operating offshore wind-farms, there is a need to de-risk the technology, to ensure its safe operation offshore. As part of the ATLANTIS project, a pioneer pilot infrastructure, the ATLANTIS Test Centre, was installed in Viana do Castelo, Portugal. This infrastructure will allow the demonstration of key enabling robotic technologies for offshore inspection and maintenance. The Test Centre is composed of two distinct testbeds, and a supervisory control centre, enabling the de-risking, testing, validation and demonstration of technologies, in both near-real and real environments. This paper presents the details of the Coastal Testbed of the ATLANTIS Test Centre, from implementation to available resources and infrastructures and environment details.

2022

An Autonomous System for Collecting Water Samples from the Surface

Authors
Pinto, AF; Cruz, NA; Ferreira, BM; Abreu, NM; Goncalves, CE; Villa, MP; Matos, AC; Honorio, LD; Westin, LG;

Publication
OCEANS 2022

Abstract
This paper describes a system designed to collect water samples, from the surface down to a configurable depth, and with configurable profiles of vertical velocity. The design was intended for the analysis of suspended sediments, therefore the sampling can integrate water flow for a given depth profile, or at a specific depth. The system is based on a catamaran-shaped platform, from which a towfish is lowered to collect the water samples. The use of a surface vehicle ensures a permanent link between the operator and the full system, allowing for a proper mission supervision. All components can be remotely controlled from the control station, or programmed for fully autonomous operation. Although the main intended use is for the analysis of suspended sediments in rivers, it can easily be extended to collect water samples in other water bodies.

Supervised
thesis

2023

Desenvolvimento de sistema de visualização 3D para simulador robótico

Author
Miguel Ferreira de Andrade

Institution
UP-FEUP

2022

Autonomous Robotic Bathymetric Mapping

Author
João Burmester Campos

Institution
UP-FEUP