Abstract
The increasing interest in connecting small sensors to the internet has led to the development of operating systems able to support all network, graphical and server functionalities over diverse embedded hardware. Globaltronic, a company based in Portugal, has developed an embedded computer called WiiPiiDo, powered by an ARM SoC (System on a Chip), which is highly specialized for IoT applications. It features NB-IoT - LTE Cat NB1 (Narrow Band IoT) to ensure robust connection to the Internet even in harsh conditions, and allows rapid development of complete IoT solutions for end-users. The development of a Linux image that exposes all the potential of the hardware platform is a must and will provide extra value to it. To create such an operating system, we examined the Yocto Project, which is a Linux building environment that is gaining a growing community of users, particularly enterprises. Nevertheless, Yocto is not the only choice for the embedded platform developer community. In fact, Armbian, a Debian/Ubuntu based distribution, appears as an popular alternative for embedded development in ARM boards. In this paper we show the steps we took from testing the first boot on the WiiPiiDo board until the development of the supporting operating system, finalizing with performance tests. We present a comparison of the two build systems that were used and report the results from the performance tests. © 2020, Springer Nature Switzerland AG.

Abstract
Intelligent agriculture in general, but especially when agricultural fields are very heterogeneous, requires a large number of sensors in order to obtain an effective control and thus increase productivity. This need becomes more evident in vineyards on the farms of the demarcated Douro region due to the specificities of the territory and the vineyards themselves. Thus, it is necessary to have low cost sensors which are, essentially, easy to install and maintain. In the present work, a node with these characteristics was developed, which, in addition, is low consumption and communicates wirelessly through a Long Rang Wide Area Network (LoRaWAN) network. To obtain an easy installation, a library of clusters was created for the LoRaWAN network and dedicated to sensors used in agriculture, especially those using an asynchronous serial protocol for intelligent sensors. Three nodes were developed and tested with sensors used in agriculture to measure several environmental parameters (soil and air temperature; wind speed, gust and direction; soil water content, water tension and electrical conductivity; solar radiation; precipitation; atmospheric and vapor pressure; relative humidity; and lightning strikes count). The three nodes send data to a server through an existing gateway on the farm. The data are decoded and sent to an Internet-of-Things analytics platform where it is aggregated, viewed and analyzed. Samples of the data collected are presented. The developed nodes are of small dimensions (85x65x35mm), thus making them easy to handle and install. Energy consumption depends on the distance to the gateway, and the number and type of sensors connected to each node. In the implemented cases, the maximum consumption was approximate to 400 mu A. The development of a cluster based library makes the node plug-and-play. The developed nodes will be a great step forward for the use of wireless sensors in smart agriculture in Douro vineyards.

Abstract
This project is being developed to access elder dependent people, inspired by a geriatric care management@home. According to the project’s main assessment, three stages have been completed and now, in the fourth stage, we are implementing a bio-network with several sensors that assists the caregiver in applying the therapeutic plan. At this point, we have collected data regarding the level of dependency of the elderly, and the risk of development of pressure ulcers, so that we can adapt the sensors according to their need. For example, sensors installed in a bed can warn the caregiver that it is time to change the position of the elderly patient. As such, after testing a prototype in laboratory, we installed the system in two homes where we are currently collecting data. © 2020, Springer Nature Switzerland AG.

Abstract
The physiotherapeutic process is widely discussed and of fundamental importance for the recovery of patients who suffer from any injury or adverse muscle condition. For best results, it is of primary importance that the patient maintains a pace of treatment and remains engaged in the activities required by the Physiotherapist. In this context, an approach that improves such engagement with concern for usability and acceptance by patients is explored in this article. A gamified platform was created, capable of capturing the time of exposure to the movement of squeezing a handgrip and expressing the patient's results in a swordsman-themed versus game, through the reading of neuromuscular signals captured by a MYO armband. © 2020 IEEE.

Abstract
Agricultural robotics is nowadays a complex, challenging, and relevant research topic for the sustainability of our society. Some agricultural environments present harsh conditions to robotics operability. In the case of steep-slope vineyards, there are several robotic challenges: terrain irregularities, characteristics of illumination, and inaccuracy/unavailability of the Global Navigation Satellite System. Under these conditions, robotics navigation, mapping, and localization become a challenging task. Performing these tasks with safety and accuracy, a reliable and advanced Navigation stack for robots working in a steep slope vineyard is required. This paper presents the integration of several robotic components, path planning aware of robot centre of gravity and terrain slope, occupation grid map extraction from satellite images, a localization and mapping procedure based on high-level visual features reliable under GNSS signals blockage/missing, for steep-slope robots. © 2021, Springer Nature Switzerland AG.

Abstract
The goal for a virtual reality (VR) training system is to enable trainees to acquire all the knowledge they need to perform effectively in a real environment. Such a system should provide an experience so authentic that no further real-world training is necessary, meaning that it is sufficient to train in VR. We evaluate the impact of a haptic thermal stimulus, which is of paramount importance to decision making, on trainees performance and knowledge acquisition. A thermal device was created to deliver the stimulus. As a proof of concept, a procedure from firefighter training is selected, in which sensing the temperature of a door with one's hand is essential. The sample consisted of 48 subjects divided among three experimental scenarios: one in which a virtual thermometer is used (visual stimulus), another in which the temperature is felt with the hand (thermal stimulus) and a third in which both methods are used (visual + thermal stimuli). For the performance evaluation, we measured the total time taken, the numbers of correctly executed procedures and identified neutral planes, the deviation from the target height, and the responses to a knowledge transfer questionnaire. Presence, cybersickness, and usability are measured to evaluate the impact of the haptic thermal stimulus. Considering the thermal stimulus condition as the baseline, we conclude that the significantly different results in the performance among the conditions indicate that the better performance in the visual-only condition is not representative of the real-life performance. Consequently, VR training applications need to deliver the correct stimuli for decision making.