MOST RELEVANT PROJECTS (2012 - PRESENT)

MarIA- Artificial Intelligence models for the Sea

Description:

The project is focused on the sea and based on the potential of the multiple data sources currently available (big data), which has as its starting point the existing data infrastructures, the Internet of Things, and operating systems.

The project aims to develop a national data governance model and create value from it, taking advantage of data science and artificial intelligence (AI). It is based on the collective intelligence of the actors who work in this area through the creation of the Collaborative Platform of Artificial Intelligence Models for the Sea – MarIA.

Website: Link

Time period: 2022 - 2023

Voamais - UAV Computer Vision Operation in Maritime and Forest Environments

Description:

This project will develop novel target detection and tracking methods in airborne and seaborne image sequences. The availability of low-cost visual sensors (visible and infrared) and the recent developments in convolutional neural networks and correlation filters are promising cost-effective, energy-efficient solutions for detecting and tracking targets capable of running onboard air or sea vehicles. The results of the project can have a direct impact on strategic national activities such as ocean and forest monitoring. To demonstrate the applicability of the methods, three case scenarios will be considered: (i) detection of forest fires from airborne images, (ii) detection and tracking of sea vessels from airborne and seaborne images, and (iii) detection, tracking, and pose estimation of aircraft from seaborne images for teleguidance of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs). These demonstrations will inform the responsible institutions for protecting the environment and coastal operations of a novel technology to support their activities.

Grant Number: 02/SAICT/2017/31172, PTDC/EEI-AUT/31172/2017 - Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia

Website: Link

Time period: 2019 - 2022

VEEO Plus - Voyage Energy & Efficiency Optimizer

Description:

Monitoring and optimization of energy consumption on board ships. In summary, VEEO Plus aims to offer the market a new solution that monitors and optimizes energy consumption on board ships. This solution incorporates an automatic onboard fuel management system to simultaneously reduce energy costs and comply with the International Maritime Organization (IMO) Marpol 73/78 Annex VI, Regulation 14 – Sulfur Oxides (SOx) and Particulate Matter standard. This project also aims to develop software for managing the energy and environmental performance of ships for use by fleet managers on land. This solution will target both the mercantile sector and the navy.

Grant Number: Portuguese Navy Research Center (CINAV)

Website: Link

Time period: 2015 - 2020

Autoland - Fixed-wing UAV automatic landing system on a moving platform

Description:

The AUTOLAND project's main objective was the development of solutions that could enable the autonomous landing of a fixed-wing Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) on a Fast Patrol Boat (FPB). Since we operate in a military environment where jamming is possible, we have developed Computer Vision (CV) based systems without external sensor information.

Grant Number: 23260 - Ministério da Ciência, Tecnologia e Ensino Superior

Time period: 2013 - 2015

CNO - Experimental and Numerical Study of Ship Responses in Waves

Description:

In this investigation, we intend to develop and improve the ability to model and predict the behavior of ships in waves, including their maneuverability characteristics, rocking movements, and means of stabilization, and the establishment of a rigorous semi-empirical method and the validation of a Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) tool for calculating the balance sheet damping characteristics. For this purpose, the models for forecasting the trajectories and movements in waves and for calculating the cantilever damping, currently existing at the Instituto Superior Técnico (IST), must be calibrated and validated with the results from experimental tests, where the Evolutionary characteristics of the ship and the rigid body movements in waves and the forced and free rocking in still water for three physical models of different scales of the same hull shape of a Portuguese Navy Frigate.

Grant Number: PTDC/EMS-ENE/1073/2012 - Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia

Time period: 2013 - 2015

Seagull - UAV-based maritime situational awareness support systems

Description:

Portugal is a maritime nation with Europe's largest Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). Upon acceptance of the proposal submitted to the United Nations (UN), it will extend the Portuguese EEZ to an area larger than 2 million square kilometers. In addition, Portugal is known as a specialist in maritime matters not only for historical reasons but also due to its recent activities on the sea. Portugal must maintain the safety of human life at sea and in its maritime area and protect the sea and coastline natural environments. The SEAGULL project uses Unmanned Air Vehicles (UAVs) as a viable and cheaper solution to help with these complex tasks in such a large area. The objective is to develop an intelligent system that couples the UAV with visual, infrared, and hyperspectral cameras, Global Positioning System (GPS) receivers, and other sensors. Its purpose is to fly autonomously over the sea while scanning it to automatically detect, identify, report, and follow targets like boats, shipwrecks, lifeboats, boats with suspicious behavior, hydrocarbyls, and other chemical pollutants.

Grant Number: 34063 - Ministério da Ciência, Tecnologia e Ensino Superior

Time period: 2013 - 2015

ICARUS - Integrated Components for Assisted Rescue and Unmanned Search Operations

Description:

Recent dramatic events such as the earthquakes in Haiti and L'Aquila or the flooding in Pakistan have shown that local civil authorities and emergency services have difficulties adequately managing crises. The result is that these crises lead to significant disruption of the whole local society. The goal of ICARUS is to decrease the total cost (both in human lives and costs) of a significant crisis. To realize this goal, the ICARUS project proposes to equip first responders with a comprehensive and integrated set of unmanned search and rescue tools, increase the situational awareness of human crisis managers, and assist search and rescue teams in dealing with the complex and dangerous, but the life-saving task of finding human survivors. As every crisis is different, providing one solution that fits all needs is impossible. Therefore, the ICARUS project will concentrate on developing components or building blocks that can be directly used by crisis managers when arriving in the field. The ICARUS tools are assistive unmanned air, ground, and sea vehicles with human detection sensors. The ICARUS unmanned vehicles are intended as the area's first explorers and in-situ supporters to safeguard human personnel. The unmanned vehicles collaborate as a coordinated team, communicating via ad hoc cognitive radio networking. To ensure optimal human-robot collaboration, these ICARUS tools are seamlessly integrated into the Command, Control, Communications, Computers & Intelligence Forecast (C4I) equipment of the human crisis managers, and a set of training and support tools is provided to the humanitarian crisis to learn to use the ICARUS system. Furthermore, the project aims to provide an integrated proof-of-concept solution to be evaluated by a board of expert end-users that can verify that operational needs are addressed.

Grant Number: 285417 - European Commission

Time period: 2012 - 2016