Abstract
Motivating undergraduate engineering students for the area of control engineering can be a challenging task. Posicast control can be used as a simple technique to introduce both open-loop and closed-loop control systems. This paper addresses several approaches to teach Posicast control involving simulation and practical implementations. A demonstration experiment using the robotic arm (UR5) is reported here as an alternative practical system which can be used to demonstrate Posicast Control. Results obtained from student's perceptions of the reported experiment are presented.

Abstract
This work presents the state-of-the-art of visual sensing systems for monitoring and control purposes in both agriculture and forest areas. Regarding agricultural activities, four main topics are explored: robotics and autonomous vehicles, plant protection, feature extraction and yield prediction. Although vast literature can be found on image processing and computer vision applied to agriculture, its applications in forest-based systems are less frequent. Throughout this article, several research areas such as diseases control, post-processing, parameters estimation, UAVs and satellites will be addressed.

Abstract
The constant search for methods that allow the production processes improvement is a driving force for the development and integration of current technological solutions in systems which are, currently, still purely human based. It is in this context that the company "Factoryplay" comes forward with the challenge to upgrade its current sewing stations by adding a set of mechanization and automation solutions. This article documents the steps carried out to provide the current solution with the required technical attributes. In this paper, the instrumentation and actuation devised solutions, as well as the method employed to design an embedded PI controller, will be presented. The PI controller allows the closed-loop control of the station movement speed as a function of the sewing machine speed. The practical results obtained, regarding the dynamic response of the sewing station, are in line with the simulated ones.

Abstract
The potentialities of using mobile devices such as smartphones for teaching/learning purposes are huge. However, in some teaching areas its use is still residual. The use of mobile applications in the context of teaching PLC programming techniques is addressed in this work. The MIT App-Inventor II is deployed to develop mobile applications for learning purposes. An android based application entitled Time-Counts is proposed here, developed to support the teaching/learning process of timers. Preliminary results regarding its use by students are presented. © 2019, Springer International Publishing AG, part of Springer Nature.

Abstract
Current students and technologies demand using new learning/teaching techniques. The potentialities of using mobile devices such as smartphones for teaching/learning purposes are huge. However, in some teaching areas its use is still residual. The use of mobile applications in the context of teaching PLC programming techniques is addressed in this work. The MIT App-Inventor II is deployed to develop mobile applications for learning purposes. An android based application entitled Time-Counts is proposed here, developed to support the teaching/learning process of both Timers and Counters. Results regarding its use by students are presented.

Abstract
Currently smartphones are used extensively by students. Thus, their proper use within teaching/learning activities is a reality which needs to be addressed. How teachers and students without advanced programming skills can develop their own mobile devices applications? An attempt to answer this question is presented in control engineering teaching and learning activities. It will be shown that the MIT App Inventor 2 provides an excellent tool to develop simple applications for Android based mobile devices. Examples of applications designed both by lecturers and students using the MIT App Inventor 2 are described, outlining different uses and features. A case study of using applications to support teaching/learning of PLC programming is presented.