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Publications

Publications by André Dias

2010

Autonomous Guided Vehicles Applied to Industrial Engineering and Management Studies

Authors
Dias, A; Dias, N; Campos, D; Ferreira, H;

Publication
PROCEEDINGS OF THE 1ST INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON ROBOTICS IN EDUCATION

Abstract
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.

2010

A Learning Environment for Robotic Production Line Simulation

Authors
Dias, A; Dias, N; Campos, D; Ferreira, H;

Publication
PROCEEDINGS OF THE 9TH EUROPEAN CONFERENCE ON E-LEARNING, VOL 1

Abstract
This paper presents a framework for a robotic production line simulation learning environment using Autonomous Ground Vehicles (AGV). An eLearning platform is used as interface with the simulator. The objective is to introduce students to the production robotics area using a familiar tool, an eLearning platform, and a framework that simulates a production line using AGVs. This framework allows students to learn about robotics but also about several areas of industrial management engineering without requiring an extensive prior knowledge on the robotics area. The robotic production line simulation learning environment simulates a production environment using AGVs to transport materials to and from the production line. The simulator allows students to validate the AGV dynamics and provides information about the whole materials supplying system which includes: supply times, route optimization and inventory management. The students are required to address several topics such as: sensors, actuators, controllers and an high level management and optimization software. This simulator was developed with a known open source tool from robotics community: Player/Stage. This tool was extended with several add-ons so that students can be able to interact with a complex simulation environment. These add-ons include an abstraction communication layer that performs events provided by the database server which is programmed by the students. An eLearning platform is used as interface between the students and the simulator. The students can visualize the effects of their instructions/programming in the simulator that they can access via the eLearning platform. The proposed framework aims to allow students from different backgrounds to fully experience robotics in practice by suppressing the huge gap between theory and practice that exists in robotics. Using an eLearning platform eliminates installation problems that can occur from different computers software distribution and makes the simulator accessible by all students at school and at home.

2007

Autonomous surface vehicle docking manoeuvre with visual information

Authors
Martins, A; Almeida, JM; Ferreira, H; Silva, H; Dias, N; Dias, A; Almeida, C; Silva, EP;

Publication
PROCEEDINGS OF THE 2007 IEEE INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON ROBOTICS AND AUTOMATION, VOLS 1-10

Abstract
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.

2011

Real-Time 3D Ball Trajectory Estimation for RoboCup Middle Size League Using a Single Camera

Authors
Silva, H; Dias, A; Almeida, JM; Martins, A; da Silva, EP;

Publication
RoboCup 2011: Robot Soccer World Cup XV [papers from the 15th Annual RoboCup International Symposium, Istanbul, Turkey, July 2011]

Abstract
This paper proposes a novel architecture for real-time 3D ball trajectory estimation with a monocular camera in Middle Size League scenario. Our proposed system consists on detecting possible multiple ball candidates in the image, that are filtered in a multi-target data association layer. Validated ball candidates have their 3D trajectory estimated by Maximum Likelihood method (MLM) followed by a recursive refinement obtained with an Extended Kalman Filter (EKF). Our approach was validated in real RoboCup scenario, evaluated recurring to ground truth information obtained by alternative methods allowing overall performance and quality assessment. © 2012 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.

2009

Manoeuvre Based Mission Control System for Autonomous Surface Vehicle

Authors
Dias, N; Almeida, C; Ferreira, H; Almeida, J; Martins, A; Dias, A; Silva, E;

Publication
OCEANS 2009 - EUROPE, VOLS 1 AND 2

Abstract
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.

2009

Autonomous Bathymetry for Risk Assessment with ROAZ Robotic Surface Vehicle

Authors
Ferreira, H; Almeida, C; Martins, A; Almeida, J; Dias, N; Dias, A; Silva, E;

Publication
OCEANS 2009 - EUROPE, VOLS 1 AND 2

Abstract
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.

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