NEWS

ARISE-LA Invited talks

DEEC, room: I(-1)05

Date and time: Thursday, October 27, at 3 pm

Title: Applied cryptography and cybersecurity in autonomous vehicles

Petter Solnør, Norwegian University of Science and Technology

Abstract: With cloud-computing technology, we can outsource computations in feedback control to third-party providers, increasing scalability and enabling feedback control as a service. However, by hosting our systems on third-party infrastructure, we also reveal potentially confidential information which limits the practical use of such systems. We can solve this problem by using a cryptographic concept called homomorphic encryption to design encrypted control systems that only operate on encrypted data. The goal of this presentation is to describe how we can use homomorphic encryption to design encrypted feedback control systems. We cover the basics of homomorphic encryption before describing general design principles and limitations of encrypted control. We proceed by showing examples of an encrypted control system and an encrypted guidance system for an unmanned surface vehicle. Finally, we show a third application where we fuse encrypted state estimates and describe how we can use such an application to, for example, design a collaborative air defense surveillance system.

Title: Autonomous docking of unmanned surface vehicles aided by visual and acoustic measurements

Øystein Volden, Norwegian University of Science and Technology

Abstract: Docking is a safety-critical operation for autonomous surface vehicles and requires highly accurate navigation signals. Since Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) can be unreliable and inaccurate in urban environments, other sensors should be considered for increased redundancy and reliability. To this end, we present a low-cost visual-inertial navigation system that we can use for automatic docking of small vehicles. The proposed system produces state estimates of the vehicle, including position, velocity, and attitude, based on raw image and inertial data. To simplify the navigation task, we use easily identifiable tags as a reference on the dockside. When the vehicle approaches the dock, a visual fiducial system recognizes the tags and estimates the relative pose between the camera onboard the vehicle and the tags at the dockside. The camera-tag pose and inertial data are then fused using an error-state Kalman filter for robust state estimation of the vehicle. Since the visual system is constrained by distance to the dockside and the camera’s field of view, we also employ a doppler velocity log (DVL) to obtain low-drift velocity aiding. As such, the DVL can be used to minimize drift for short-endurance missions until a landmark is detected and used by the visual system.

FEUP | Research Grants |BM3.4.5.6-SYSTEC DinamyCity

Applications: 11-10-2022 to 24-10-2022

Call open for applications for 4 research grants within the framework of project “DynamiCITY: Fostering Dynamic Adaptation of Smart Cities to Cope with Crises and Disruptions”, with reference NORTE-01-0145-FEDER-000073, co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), through the North Portugal Regional Operational Programme (NORTE2020), under Portugal 2020 Partnership Agreement, under the following conditions: EditalEN

Encontra-se aberto concurso para a atribuição de 4 Bolsas de Investigação, no âmbito do projeto “DynamiCITY: Fostering Dynamic Adaptation of Smart Cities to Cope with Crises and Disruptions”, com referência NORTE-01-0145-FEDER-000073, cofinanciado pelo Fundo Europeu de Desenvolvimento Regional (FEDER), através do Programa Operacional Regional do Norte (NORTE2020), ao abrigo do Portugal 2020, nas seguintes condições: EditalPT

ADOreD – SYSTEC participates in the new project that aims to accelerate the deployment of offshore wind energy using DC technology

ADOreD – Accelerating the Deployment of Offshore wind using DC technology (01/10/2022 – 30/09/2026)

Renewable power is one of the main drives to achieve carbon reduction and net-zero, and to meet the ambitious climate goals. In particular, offshore wind power in Europe has been developing at a rapid pace in recent years. Multi-Giga watts offshore wind farms with larger wind turbine power ratings, floating wind turbines installed in deeper water areas, and higher ratio of renewables integrated to existing power grids, are fundamentally changing power system operations and bringing new challenges and technical demands. This industry doctorate consortium, ADOreD, will recruit and train 15 Researchers by collaborating with 19 academic and industrial organizations. It aims to tackle the academic and technical challenges in the areas of transmission of offshore wind power to the AC grid by using power electronics-based AC/DC technologies. In doing so, it will equip the Researchers, through their PhD studies, with essential knowledge and skills to face fast energy transition in their future careers. The project covers 3 key research aspects: offshore wind (including wind turbines, wind power collection, and wind farm design and control); DC technologies (including AC/DC converters, HVDC control and DC network operation and protection); and AC grid (including stability and control of AC grids dominated with converters under various control modes. The ADOreD consortium has excellent coverage of academic universities and industry organizations including manufacturers, energy utilities, system operators, consultancy and technology innovation centers. All the research questions in the project reflect industry needs; academic novelty and innovation will be reflected in the methodologies and solutions; and the research results will be disseminated directly to the industry partners’ products, grid operation and services. The outcomes of the project are both technologies and a talent pool to accelerate the deployment and grid integration of large-scale offshore wind power.

Partners from Denmark, United Kingdom, China, Portugal, Germany, Belgium, Spain, Island:

  • Faculdade de Engenharia da Universidade do Porto (FEUP – SYSTEC) and Danmarks Tekniske Universitet (Coordinator);
  • Cardiff University;
  • Centrale Lille Institut; China Electric Power Research Institute (SEAL) SOE;
  • EFACEC ENERGIA – Máquinas e Equipamentos Eléctricos S.A;
  • Global Energy Interconnection Research;
  • Institute Europe GMBH;
  • Hitachi Energy Germany AG;
  • Katholieke Universiteit Leuven;
  • NKT GMBH & CO KG;
  • Ore Catapult Development Services Limited;
  • RED Electrica de Espana S.A.U.;
  • Scottish Hydro Electric Transmission PLC;
  • Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy AS;
  • TNEI Services Limited;
  • Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya;
  • Vattenfall Vindkraft A/S;
  • Youwind Renewables EHF;
  • YUSO.

CEMMPRE participation in the Celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Department of Mechanical Engineering

As part of the celebrations of the 50th anniversary of the creation of engineering courses at the University of Coimbra (UC), the Department of Mechanical Engineering (DEM) of the Faculty of Science and Technology of the University of Coimbra (FCTUC) held, on the 30th of September, a meeting to mark the date. With the motto “RoadMAP50 – Memory, Present and Perspectives”, the initiative aimed to “visit the memory of the evolution of the DEM and analyze its current situation to envision its future development”.

CEMMPRE participated in this initiative, with a brief presentation highlighting its integration into the Advanced Production and Intelligent Systems (ARISE) Associated Laboratory (AL), as well as its Research, Development, and Innovation activity, with particular emphasis on ongoing projects. At the end, Professor Marta Oliveira, made an appeal to all former members of CEMMPRE (or of CEMUC and ICEMS – centres that gave rise to CEMMPRE) to integrate a network that intends to promote future collaborations.

CEMMPRE participation in the European Researcher’s Night

A group of CEMMPRE Researchers participated in the European Researchers’ Night, which this year had as its theme SCIEVER – SCIENCE FOR EVERYONE – Sustainability and Inclusion.

A game and a small exhibition were the base of this participation. In an entertaining way, the objective of the game was to show CEMMPRE activities, including GreenTRIBOS (a joint doctorate programme on Green Tribology for Sustainable Engineering), raising awareness for personal conscience on sustainability-related to mechanical engineering, materials, and processes. This game also gave visibility to the Advanced Production and Intelligent Systems (ARISE) Associated Laboratory (AL). The Robot “Pepper” was the main attraction of the small exhibition.

FEUP | Research Grant |BM-SYSTEC ATLANTIDA

Applications: 26-09-2022 to 10-10-2022

Call open for applications for a research grant within the framework of project ATLANTIDA – Platform for the monitoring of the North Atlantic ocean and tools for the sustainable exploitation of marine resources, with reference NORTE-01-0145-FEDER-000040, co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), through the North Portugal Regional Operational Programme (NORTE2020), under the PORTUGAL 2020 Partnership Agreement, under the following conditions: EditalEN

PT:

Encontra-se aberto concurso para a atribuição de uma Bolsa de Investigação, no âmbito do projeto ATLANTIDA – Platform for the monitoring of the North Atlantic ocean and tools for the sustainable exploitation of the marine resources, com a referência NORTE-01-0145-FEDER-000040, cofinanciado pelo Fundo Europeu de Desenvolvimento Regional (FEDER), através do Programa Operacional Regional do Norte (NORTE 2020), ao abrigo do Portugal 2020, nas seguintes condições: EditalPT

Inova+ Awards

INOVA+ celebrated its 25th anniversary with the launch of a national competition to award innovative projects in a scientific and business context, with the potential of an international scale, and to distinguish, through the CAREER AWARD – SCIENTIFIC EXCELLENCE, those who have remarkably careers and who, in doing so, has contributed to asserting excellence in teaching and research.

In this edition, PROFESSOR FERNANDO LOBO PEREIRA was awarded, posthumously, the personality of the year award, distinguishing and recognizing the excellence of his scientific career and the contribution that, by example, he made to society.

The communication of the results took place in a public session, on the 26th of September 2022, in the FEUP Auditorium.

EIT Manufacturing

The European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) is by now a well-established instrument to create, nurture and develop innovation ecosystems. As Europe’s largest innovation network with more than 1 000 partners in 40 hubs boosting innovation across Europe. EIT’s moto is to “make innovation happen” by bringing together the key ingredients – education, research and business across Europe – in order to address societal challenges. Thus far, the EIT has created more than 6 100 jobs, over 600 new products and services, and nurtured more than 1250 start-ups and scale-ups, which have attracted over EUR 890 million of external investment. More than 1200 talented EIT Alumni have graduated from the EIT’s entrepreneurial programmes at master and doctoral level. The achieved excellence is reflected in the fact that in the last 3 years almost 40 students and entrepreneurs trained by the EIT were featured on the Forbes 30 under 30 lists of Europe’s most promising young innovators.

EIT Manufacturing is one the Innovation Communities within the European Institute of Innovation & Technology (EIT) – that connects the leading manufacturing actors in Europe. Fueled by a strong interdisciplinary and trusted community, the ambition is to add unique value to European products, processes, services – and inspire the creation of globally competitive and sustainable manufacturing. EIT Manufacturing is an innovation community and a network of ecosystems where people acquire skills and find opportunities; and where innovators are able to attract investors and accede venture capital.

The manufacturing industry is a global base for prosperity and key to Europe’s economic, social and environmental sustainability. Manufacturing is a main driver of industrial innovation, job creation and growth for the European society. It stands for over 2.1 million manufacturing enterprises in Europe, providing over 32 million jobs, which corresponds to 16% of the total EU working population, including approximately 13 million jobs in the growing high-tech manufacturing industry and in 2016, the share of EU-28 GDP originated by manufacturing was 16.1% (Eurostat, GDP percentage of total, industry breakdowns, 10.01.2018), corresponding to a total turnover of EUR 7.11 trillion (European Commission, Factories of the Future Manufacturing in Horizon 2020 and beyond, 2017).

The vision of EIT Manufacturing is that the global manufacturing innovation is led by Europe. To tackle main challenges of European manufacturing, EIT Manufacturing has defined six strategic objectives:

  • Excellent manufacturing skills and talents: adding value through an upskilled workforce and engaged students.
  • Efficient manufacturing innovation ecosystems: adding value through creating ecosystems for innovation, entrepreneurship and business transformation focused on innovation hotspots.
  • Full digitalisation of manufacturing: adding value through digital solutions and platforms that connect value networks globally.
  • Customer-driven manufacturing: adding value through agile and flexible manufacturing that meets global personalised demand.
  • Socially sustainable manufacturing: adding value through safe, healthy, ethical and socially sustainable production and products.
  • Environmentally sustainable manufacturing: adding value by making industry greener and cleaner.

For that purpose, EIT Manufacturing brings together over 50 European leading partners from business, education and research, from 17 countries.

These different initiatives are deeply rooted and supported by major National and European policies. The European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) is one of the strategic European instruments to boost research and innovation, jobs and economic growth. 

The EIT welcomes the proposed establishment of the European Innovation Council (EIC) and looks forward to increased contributions to the European innovation environment, built on the basis of the established EIT and the synergies with the new European Innovation Council. Both instruments aim to accelerate the process of bringing innovations to the market and to turn research into products and services.

HYLAB – Collaborative Laboratory for Green Hydrogen

HYLAB is an association of 13 Companies+Universities+R&D Institutes, promoted by EDP Inovação. The two universities are U. Porto and IST.

HyLAB targets a gap between the academia and industrial ecosystems in the implementation of green hydrogen to boost the energy transition and to tackle the above-mentioned challenges, through the entire hydrogen value chain.

Furthermore, the HyLAB aims at becoming a reference at national and international levels, by boosting new Research, Development and Innovation (R&D+I) areas, with the potential to create and export new or improved knowledge, technologies and services throughout Europe. The innovation agenda of the HyLAB is aligned with both the European priorities, the National Energy Climate Plan (NECP) and the National Strategy for Hydrogen following three lines of action:

  • Green hydrogen value chain: aiming at reducing technologies’ cost and at improving performance (e.g. efficiency, reliability, lifetime, etc.) across the value chain. The R&D+I focus will include socio-economic impact components, such as training and public acceptance angles.
  • Electrolyzer industry: aiming at supporting the developments in the electrolyzer industry ecosystem and at improving the manufacturing process.
  • Enabler: aiming at supporting the creation of the hydrogen value-chains across Europe and the related industrial scaling up and R&D+I partnership ecosystem.

SHIFT2RAIL II

A second European rail initiative is being prepared for 2020-30, contributing to decarbonisation through sustainable and smart mobility.

The vision is to develop a connected and open rail framework for the European mobility in terms of a scalable Rail System Architecture, derived from the business vision of the Railways in 2030-2050 as the backbone of European Multimodal Mobility is of great importance.

Given the challenges in terms of capture of market share in the future 20-30 years and the opportunities of digitalization, it appears obvious that, similarly to other sectors as Air Traffic Management, a Rail System Architecture is needed. Considered as a global and underlying framework to offer a coherent ecosystem for undertaking, the overall research and innovation activities proposed in this strategic research agenda will be achieved towards a Connected and open rail framework for the European mobility.

In a longer-term view, a potential ETML (European Traffic Management Layer for railways) based on a high-performance digital rail system architecture for the secure exchange of information between the key actors of the rail systems and other sectors could be envisaged, creating the basis for the European rail traffic management for railways with integrated solutions associated to the respective governance.

In an open approach it deals with digital innovation, automation and automation, new energy sources, new materials, new systems architectures.

The team is preparing to associate to this initiative, keeping associated, aggregating the main Portuguese players in the sector.