Abstract
The academic performance of a higher education student can be affected by several factors and in most cases Higher Education Institutions (HEI) have programs to intervene, prevent failure or students dropping out. These include student tutoring, mentoring, recovery classes, summer school, etc. Being able to identify the borderline cases is extremely important for planning and intervening in time. This position paper reports on an ongoing project, being developed at the University of Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro (UTAD), which uses the students’ data and artificial intelligence algorithms to create models and predict the performance of students and classes. The main objective of the IA.EDU project is to research the usage of data, artificial intelligence and data science to create artificial intelligence solutions, including models and applications, to provide predictive information that can contribute to the increase in students’ academic success and a reduction in the dropout rate, by making it possible to act proactively with the students at risk, course directors and course designers. © 2020, Springer Nature Switzerland AG.

Abstract
Nowadays wearable devices are very popular. The reason for that is the sudden reduction in pricing and the increase in functionalities. Healthcare services have been greatly benefiting from the emergence of these devices since they can collect vital signs and help healthcare professionals to easily monitor patients. Medical wellness, prevention, diagnosis, treatment and monitoring services are the main focus of Healthcare applications. Some companies have already invested in this market and we present some of them and their strategies. Furthermore, we also conducted a group interview with Altice Labs in order to better understand the critical points and challenges they encountered while developing and maintaining their service. With the purpose of comprehending users’ receptiveness to mHealth systems (mobile health systems which users wear - wearables) and their opinion about sharing data, we also created a questionnaire (which had 114 valid responses). Based on the research done we propose a different approach. In our product and service concept solution, which we share herein, we consider people of all ages to be targets for the product/service and, beyond that, we consider the use of machine learning techniques to extract knowledge from the information gathered. Finally, we discuss the advantages and drawbacks of this kind of system, showing our critical point of view. © 2020, The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.

Abstract

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Abstract
Data and services are available anywhere at any time thanks to the Internet and mobile devices. Nowadays, there are new ways of representing data through trendy technologies such as augmented reality (AR), which extends our perception of reality through the addition of a virtual layer on top of real-time images. The great potential of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) for carrying out routine and professional tasks has encouraged their use in the creation of several services, such as package delivery or industrial maintenance. Unfortunately, drone piloting is difficult to learn and requires specific training. Since regular training is performed with virtual simulations, we decided to propose a multiplatform cloud-hosted solution based in Web AR for drone training and usability testing. This solution defines a configurable trajectory through virtual elements represented over barcode markers placed on a real environment. The main goal is to provide an inclusive and accessible training solution which could be used by anyone who wants to learn how to pilot or test research related to UAV control. For this paper, we reviewed drones, AR, and human-drone interaction (HDI) to propose an architecture and implement a prototype, which was built using a Raspberry Pi 3, a camera, and barcode markers. The validation was conducted using several test scenarios. The results show that a real-time AR experience for drone pilot training and usability testing is achievable through web technologies. Some of the advantages of this approach, compared to traditional methods, are its high availability by using the web and other ubiquitous devices; the minimization of technophobia related to crashes; and the development of cost-effective alternatives to train pilots and make the testing phase easier for drone researchers and developers through trendy technologies.

Abstract
The demand for online services is increasing. Services that would require a long time to understand, use and master are becoming as transparent as possible to the users, that tend to focus only on the final goals. Combined with the advantages of the unmanned vehicles (UV), from the unmanned factor to the reduced size and costs, we found an opportunity to bring to users a wide variety of services supported by UV, through the Internet of Unmanned Vehicles (IoUV). Current solutions were analyzed and we discussed scalability and genericity as the principal concerns. Then, we proposed a solution that combines several services and UVs, available from anywhere at any time, from a cloud platform. The solution considers a cloud distributed architecture, composed by users, services, vehicles and a platform, interconnected through the Internet. Each vehicle provides to the platform an abstract and generic interface for the essential commands. Therefore, this modular design makes easier the creation of new services and the reuse of the different vehicles. To confirm the feasibility of the solution we implemented a prototype considering a cloud-hosted platform and the integration of custom-built small-sized cars, a custom-built quadcopter, and a commercial Vertical Take-Off and Landing (VTOL) aircraft. To validate the prototype and the vehicles' remote control, we created several services accessible via a web browser and controlled through a computer keyboard. We tested the solution in a local network, remote networks and mobile networks (i.e., 3G and Long-Term Evolution (LTE)) and proved the benefits of decentralizing the communications into multiple point-to-point links for the remote control. Consequently, the solution can provide scalable UV-based services, with low technical effort, for anyone at anytime and anywhere.