Abstract
Assistive Technologies may greatly contribute to give autonomy and independence for individuals with physical limitations. Electric wheelchairs are examples of those assistive technologies and nowadays each time becoming more intelligent due to the use of technology that provides assisted safer driving. Usually, the user controls the electric wheelchair with a conventional analog joystick. However, this implies the need for an appropriate methodology to map the position of the joystick handle, in a Cartesian coordinate system, to the wheelchair wheels intended velocities. This mapping is very important since it will determine the response behavior of the wheelchair to the user manual control. This paper describes the implementation of several joystick mappings in an intelligent wheelchair (IW) prototype. Experiments were performed in a realistic simulator using cerebral palsy users with distinct driving abilities. The users had 6 different joystick control mapping methods and for each user the usability and the users' preference order was measured. The results achieved show that a linear mapping, with appropriate parameters, between the joystick's coordinates and the wheelchair wheel speeds is preferred by the majority of the users.

Abstract
ROS (Robot Operating System) is a framework for the development of robotic applications widely used throughout research community due to its modular architecture and distributed nature. Using this framework a robot application consists of several nodes that exchange data over a common middle-ware. Programming new nodes is done by using a ROS API (application programming interface) on one of the available programming languages, such as C++ and python. It is our intention to build a robot that needs to be partially programmed in IEC 61131-3, allowing the end-user to adapt it to any specific industrial environment. In this work we have specified a mapping between the concepts defined in IEC 61131-3 and ROS, and started implementing a library through which IEC 61131-3 programs may co-ordinate their actions with the remaining ROS based robotic application. © 2013 IEEE.

Abstract
This paper describes the implementation of a navigation algorithm for Autonomous Surface Vehicles (ASVs), that is composed by two stages: 1) spline curve follower and; 2) reactive collision avoidance, obeying to the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea (COLREGs). The spline curve follower determines path's parametric functions that the vehicle should follow, taking into account : 1) the initial and goal points on the fixed world frame and; 2) the final desired orientation for the ASV. The reactive collision avoidance substitutes the splines navigation in situations of potential collision with moving obstacles. To do this, the algorithm considers the relative velocity between the controlled ASV and the moving obstacle (other ASV). It also takes into account the escape trajectory that the controlled ASV is capable to perform at each instant. The algorithm was implemented under the Robotic Operating System (ROS) framework. An intuitive spline curve configuration tool, using the RVIZ's package. The paper presents results of the simulation of two ASVs, following predefined spline trajectories, and the reactive collision avoidance routine in a rendezvous situation. A reference for a video illustrating the navigation algorithm is also provided.

Abstract

Abstract
The European Project Semester at ISEP (EPS@ISEP) is a one semester project-based learning programme addressed to engineering students from diverse scientific backgrounds and nationalities. The students, organized in multicultural teams, are challenged to solve real world multidisciplinary problems, accounting for 30 ECTU. The EPS package, although focused on project development (20 ECTU), includes a series of complementary seminars aimed at fostering soft, project-related and engineering transversal skills (10 ECTU). This paper presents the study plan, resources, operation and results of the EPS@ISEP that was created in 2011 to apply the best engineering education practices and promote the internationalization of ISEP. The results show that the EPS@ISEP students acquire during one semester the scientific, technical and soft competences necessary to propose, design and implement a solution for a multidisciplinary problem.

Abstract
One line of research and development in robotics receiving increasing attention in recent years is the development of biologically inspired robots. The idea is to gain knowledge of biological beings and apply the knowledge thus acquired to implement the same methods of locomotion (or at least use the biological inspiration) on the machines we build. It is believed that this way it is possible to develop machines with capabilities similar to those of biological beings in terms of locomotion skills and energy efficiency. One way to better understand the functioning of these systems, without the need to develop prototypes with long and costly development, is to use simulation models. Given these ideas, this work concerns the study of the biomechanics of the spider crab, using the SimMechanics toolbox of Matlab/Simulink. This paper describes the anatomy and locomotion of the spider crab, its modeling and control and the locomotion simulation of a crab within the SimMechanics environment.