Abstract
Recently the RoboCup@Work league emerged in the world's largest robotics competition, intended for competitors wishing to compete in the field of mobile robotics for manipulation tasks in industrial environments. This competition consists of several tasks with one reflected in this work (Basic Navigation Test). This project involves the simulation in Virtual Robot Experimentation Platform (V-REP) of the behavior of a KUKA youBot. The goal is to verify that the robots can navigate in their environment, in a standalone mode, in a robust and secure way. To achieve the proposed objectives, it was necessary to create a program in Lua and test it in simulation. This involved the study of robot kinematics and mechanics, Simultaneous Localization And Mapping (SLAM) and perception from sensors. In this work is introduced an algorithm developed for a KUKA youBot platform to perform the SLAM while reaching for the goal position, which works according to the requirements of this competition BNT. This algorithm also minimizes the errors in the built map and in the path travelled by the robot.

Abstract
Control and monitoring systems capabilities are unavoidable to improve product quality, reduce production time, and to the rapid adaptation to changes in production. Therefore, it is advantageous to develop control and monitoring systems, and maximize the use of the resources already available in machine tools, without high additional costs and hard implementations. The use of Programmable Logic Controllers (PLC) on industries is growing. This sort of controller has been an election tool to attend present day requirements. It has the necessary resources to acquire and manage the information and control of the machines, and easily interacts with SCADA systems. The objective of the study described in this paper was to develop a solution for monitoring a metal casting machine, which could replace an outdated system installed on it, and find a solution to control a metal pouring process. All programs that allow the PLC to control the machine movements, and also perform the casting process, were developed during the project implementation. The results show that the developed solution is able to control the machine without the need to invest in a PC, which is a more expensive solution and with a more limited life time. © Springer International Publishing Switzerland 2017.

Abstract
This paper reports the design and development process of an artistic robot by a team of five engineering and design students from Belgian, Finland, Poland, Romania and Scotland. To contribute to this goal, the team designed and assembled GraphBot, a voice commanded drawing robot prototype, following the EPS@ISEP process. In addition, the team specified their target as young children and, in particular girls, and stated that their motivation was to introduce young generations to the world of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). In terms of outcomes, this project is expected to go beyond the boundaries of the traditional development of scientific and technical competences, by providing the students with a holistic learning experience, fostering also the development of personal and inter-personal skills within a multidisciplinary and multicultural teamwork set-up. © Springer International Publishing AG 2017.

Abstract
This paper presents the development of an Escargot Nursery by a multinational and multidisciplinary team of 3rd year undergraduates within the framework of EPS@ISEP - the European Project Semester (EPS) offered by the Instituto Superior de Engenharia do Porto (ISEP). The challenge was to design, develop and test a snail farm compliant with the applicable EU directives and the given budget. The Team, motivated by the desire to solve this multidisciplinary problem, embarked on an active learning journey, involving scientific, technical, marketing, sustainable and ethical development studies, brainstorming and decision-making. Based on this project-based learning approach, the Team identified the lack of innovative domestic snail farm products and, consequently, proposed the development of "EscarGO", a stylish solution for the domestic market. The paper details the proposed design and control system, including materials, components and technologies. This learning experience, which was focussed on the development of multicultural communication, multidisciplinary teamwork, problem-solving and decision-making competencies in students, produced as a tangible evidence the proof of concept prototype of "EscarGO", an Escargot Nursery designed for families to easily grow snails at home.

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.

Abstract
This work aims to apply the concepts associated with neural networks in the control of an autonomous robot system. The robot was tested in several arbitrary paths in order to verify the effectiveness of the neural control. The results show that the robot performed the tasks with success. Moreover, in the case of arbitrary paths the neural control outperforms other methodologies, such as fuzzy logic control.