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Research Projects

The research projects detailed here have been developed by the ARVC laboratory, and in some case in colaboration with other research groups and enterprises.

Research Projects

Mobile robotics for the automatic surveillance of premises and identification of dangerous situations in challenging conditions using deep learning techniques

Title: Mobile robotics for surveillance using deep learning techniques

Funded by: Agencia Estatal de Investigación - Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades

Duration: Desde 01/09/2024 hasta 31/12/2027

Description:

Keywords: Mobile robot, visual perception, point cloud, deep learning, sensor fusion, localization, mapping, environment interpretation

Head Researcher: A. Gil, L. Payá

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AViRobots

Title: Development of an intelligent surveillance and security infrastructure system based on mobile robots

Funded by: AVI (Agència Valenciana de la Innovació)

Duration: 01/2023 - 12/2025

Description:

Keywords: Mobile robots, visual perception, multisensory fusion, infrastructure surveillance

Head Researcher: Arturo Gil, Luis Payá

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HyReBot

Title: Hybrid Robots and Multisensory Reconstruction for Applications in Lattice Structures (HyReBot)

Funded by: Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación

Duration: 09/2021 - 08/2024

Description:

Keywords: Hybrid robots, visual perception, sensor fusion, reticular structures

Head Researcher: L. Payá, O. Reinoso

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PROMETEO2021

Title: Towards Further Integration of Intelligent Robots in Society: Navigate, Recognize and Manipulate

Funded by: GENERALITAT VALENCIANA

Duration: 01/2021 - 12/2024

Description:

In recent years, the number of robots used to perform tasks autonomously in multiple fields and sectors has gradually increased. Today, we can find robots performing repetitive tasks in controlled environments, addressing complex and sometimes dangerous tasks. However, having robots perform tasks in uncontrolled environments with the presence of objects and moving elements (such as people and other robots) and requiring the need to move between different points in the scene presents notable challenges that need to be addressed to enable greater integration of robots in such scenarios.

This research project aims to tackle activities within this scope in three specific lines: navigation, recognition, and manipulation, in order to advance the integration of robots and the performance of tasks in these environments. On one hand, it is necessary to consider the presence of humans in these social environments, as their possible movements and behavior will affect how robots should move and, ultimately, navigate within these scenarios. Additionally, there is a need to advance in the tasks of environment recognition, identifying the scenarios to make the localization of robots within them more robust and precise. Finally, the problem of object manipulation by these robots will be addressed, considering both the flexibility in shape and the deformability of these objects.

Project PROMETEO 075/2021 is funded by the Consellería de Innovación, Universidades, Ciencia y Sociedad Digital de la Generalitat Valenciana
Valencian Innovation Agency

Head Researcher: Oscar Reinoso

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TED2021

Title: Development of intelligent mobile technologies to address security tasks and surveillance indoors and outdoors

Funded by: Agencia Estatal de Investigación. Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación

Duration: 12/2022 - 11/2024

Description:

Keywords: Mobile robot, computer vision, image processing, sensor fusion, robot navigation, deep learning

Head Researcher: A. Gil, L. Payá

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IA-GAMMAPATIA

Title: Análisis inicial de herramientas de IA para la predicción de la malignización de las gammapatías de significado incierto a mieloma múltiple u otras patologías linfoproliferativas

Funded by: Generalitat Valenciana

Duration: 01/2023 - 12/2023

Description:

Head Researcher: L. Payá

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SubActuatedRobots

Title: Securing manipulator robots with free-swinging joint failures by extinguishing their uncontrolled self-movements

Funded by: CONSELLERIA DE INNOVACIÓN, UNIVERSIDADES, CIENCIA Y SOCIEDAD DIGITAL

Duration: 1/1/22-31/12/23

Description:

When a fully actuated robot suffers a free swing failure (or torque failure) in any of its actuated joints, the robot becomes underactuated and allows uncontrolled movements even if we block the rest of the healthy actuators. Such uncontrolled movements are dangerous because they can cause the robot to collide with itself or with obstacles in the environment.
 
In this project we propose to develop a method to control robots that have suffered such free swing failure, in order to lock the underactuated robot without using redundant actuators or brakes, safely suppressing its uncontrolled free swing movements. The proposed method consists of varying the healthy actuated joints until the self-motion motions of the underactuated robot degenerate to a point. Such self-motion varieties are higher-dimensional curves, surfaces, and analogs, and their shape and size change as the healthy actuated joints move. Since uncontrolled motions of an underactuated robot occur along such self-motion moieties, making such moieties degenerate at a point effectively suppresses such uncontrolled motions, since the range of uncontrolled motion of the robot is reduced to a single point.
Valencian Innovation Agency

Keywords: Parallel robot, underactuated, redundant, self-moving varieties, free swing failure, torque failure

Head Researcher: Adrián Peidró

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RETIC

Title: Planning of robotic movements in metallic structures

Funded by: Universidad Miguel Hernández de Elche

Duration: 01/01/2021 - 31/12/2022

Description:

Nowadays, we encounter three-dimensional metallic lattice structures in numerous artificial constructions, such as stadiums, high-voltage or telecommunications towers, airports, construction sites, pipeline networks in refineries, nuclear power plants, and aerospace constructions. These structures, composed of interconnected bars forming genuine metallic networks, require periodic inspection and maintenance to preserve their good condition and functionality and to prevent their structural stability from being compromised by deterioration. Examples of the required tasks include coating the metallic bars of the structure with protective paints to prevent corrosion, non-destructive inspection to detect possible cracks and welding defects, and tightening threaded joints, among others.

Traditionally, these tasks have been performed by human operators who, equipped with safety mechanisms such as harnesses, have to climb the structure and carry out the aforementioned operations. Despite the possible safety measures that can be adopted, performing these operations is dangerous for humans, who are subjected to significant safety and health risks. In order to avoid these dangers to human operators, the possibility of performing these hazardous tasks at height using robots (autonomous or teleoperated) has been pursued over the past three decades. In this project, the objective is to plan movements that a hybrid robot can perform so that it can navigate through these structures and pass through the structural nodes, attaching itself appropriately to carry out inspection and maintenance tasks.

Head Researcher: Oscar Reinoso Garcia

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ModRet

Title: Recognition and modeling of lattice structures (ModRet)

Funded by: Universidad Miguel Hernández de Elche

Duration: 2 años

Description:

The project focuses on the creation of models of lattice structures. These types of structures are found in numerous constructions and require continuous maintenance. This maintenance can be automated using a mobile robot capable of moving through the structure. However, to undertake this task, the robot must have a model of the structure that allows it to know its position and plan the appropriate trajectory and sequence of movements to reach the target point. To create this model, the robot will collect information as it moves along the structure for the first time, using its equipped sensors (primarily omnidirectional vision systems).

Modeling these types of structures presents several differential aspects compared to other environments, such as their symmetry and the presence of repetitive visual structures, the wide variety of viewpoints from which they can be observed depending on the robot's trajectory, and the changes their appearance may undergo due to repairs carried out by the robot. Considering these characteristics, the model will be given a hierarchical structure, with a high-level layer containing information about the topology of the structure, and one or more low-level layers with data about the bars and nodes, such as their shape, width, planes that compose the bars, and node topology. Artificial intelligence and deep learning techniques will be used for scene description and extraction of relevant information. These tools will separate the information surrounding the structure and its conditions (such as lighting conditions) from the information of the lattice surrounding the robot (bars and nodes). Additionally, algorithms will be implemented for incremental model creation, updating it as the robot advances and captures new information about the structure.

Head Researcher: L. Payá

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TorqFailRob

Title: Control of parallel robots that have suffered torque failure

Funded by: Universidad Miguel Hernández, Vdo. de Investigación

Duration: 1/1/22-31/12/22

Description:

This project aims to develop control and stabilization algorithms for parallel robots that have suffered torque failure in one of their actuators. When this happens, the joint connected to the failed actuator behaves as a passive joint that can rotate freely, causing the loss of control of the robot. This is a dangerous situation since the robot can move freely without control and could collide with itself or with objects in the environment.
 
The method intended to be applied in this project is novel since it does not require brakes or redundant actuators, and consists of moving the healthy actuators of the robot to positions where the self-motion varieties vanish. Such self-motion varieties are curves or surfaces on which the robot can slide freely when its healthy actuators are blocked.

Keywords: variety of self-motion, parallel, underactuated robot

Head Researcher: Adrián Peidró

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ParallelRobots

Title: Design and study of computational torque regulators for traversing singularities in parallel robots

Funded by: CONSELLERIA DE INNOVACIÓN, UNIVERSIDADES, CIENCIA Y SOCIEDAD DIGITAL, Generalitat Valenciana

Duration: 01/01/2021-31/12/2021

Description:

Parallel robots control the movement of their end-effector or gripper through multiple kinematic chains connected in parallel, forming closed kinematic chains. This provides them with greater structural rigidity and dynamic performance, but it also limits their workspace and divides it into different regions separated by parallel-type singularities (also known as type 2 singularities) that do not exist in serial or open kinematic chain robots. When the robot crosses one of these singularities, it is not possible to control the movement of its end-effector in any arbitrary direction, requiring infinitely large actuation torques in the actuators. This makes it difficult to cross such singularities to fully utilize the robot's workspace.

In previous works, other researchers have avoided the divergence of actuation torques by designing the end-effector's trajectory so that, when crossing the singularity, the robot's dynamic model does not degenerate, satisfying a non-degeneration condition derived by other researchers in the past. The drawback is that the trajectory used to cross the singularity cannot be arbitrary; it must be designed to meet the mentioned non-degeneration condition.

In this project, we propose the design of new Computed-Torque Control laws that allow crossing the mentioned parallel singularities while avoiding the divergence of the actuation torques, so that they remain finite during the crossing of the singularity, and additionally avoiding the need to design the trajectory to achieve this, thus allowing arbitrary trajectories. To achieve this in the present project, we propose considering the small modeling errors that always occur when modeling the dynamics of the robot to be controlled. These small errors cause the tracking of the desired trajectory to be imperfect, which provides some margin to meet the non-degeneration condition simply by adjusting the proportional and derivative gains of the regulator, leaving the trajectory completely free. The proposed control will be tested in this project through simulation with example parallel robots, and also through testing on real parallel robots.

Project funded by the Department of Innovation, Universities, Science, and Digital Society of the Generalitat Valenciana.
Valencian Innovation Agency

Keywords: parallel robot, singularity, computational torque control

Head Researcher: Adrián Peidró

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EMERG2020

Title: Scene Reconstruction from Omnidirectional Cameras Using Visual Appearance Techniques and Deep Learning

Funded by: Generalitat Valenciana

Duration: 01/2020 - 12/2020

Description:


Most of the existing algorithms that solve mapping and location problems stop working properly when the robot operates in an unstructured, complex and changing environment or when the robot can move with more than three degrees of freedom (DOF). ). In response to this challenge, the main research line of this project proposes the improvement and development of new mechanisms that allow efficient, robust and precise modeling of environments using vision systems. Specifically, the use of omnidirectional vision systems is proposed due to the large amount of information they provide at a relatively low cost. However, the use of these vision systems makes it necessary to consider the challenges of working with the images provided by this type of camera. In this sense, it is proposed to study in depth descriptors based on global appearance and make use of Deep Learning techniques.
The development of this project is developed through various objectives such as the analysis of the present algorithms for creating maps and location, comparison of the present global appearance algorithms and also, developing new location algorithms and / or appearance descriptors global based on Deep Learning. In order to improve the integration of the mobile robot in real work environments (Industry 4.0), in which they interact with people, characteristics that make it compatible with human perception will be incorporated into the map.

Keywords: Deep learning, scene reconstruction, localization, omnidirectional vision

Head Researcher: M. Ballesta

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AICO2019

Title: Hierarchical model creation and robust localization of mobile robots in social environments

Funded by: Generalitat Valenciana

Duration: 01/01/2019 a 31/12/2020

Description:

Keywords: Mobile robot; omnidirectional vision; hybrid map; hierarchical localization; social environments

Head Researcher: L. Payá

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OMMNI-SLAM

Title: Map Building by Means of Appearance Visual Systems for Robot Navigation

Funded by: CICYT Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación

Duration: 01/01/2017 al 31/12/2019

Description:

Keywords: Mobile robots, autonomous navigation, computer vision, omnidirectional systems

Head Researcher: L. Payá, O. Reinoso

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BinaryRobot

Title: Design and development of a hybrid structure robot with binary-operated hydraulic actuators.

Funded by: Generalitat Valenciana

Duration: Del 01/01/2018 al 31/12/2019

Description:

Steel structures require inspection, maintenance, and repair tasks to ensure their proper functioning, stability, structural integrity, longevity, and aesthetic quality. Such structures are present in numerous constructions such as bridges, ports, airports, telecommunications towers, stadiums, power lines, power plants, and industrial plants, as well as forming part of the framework of most buildings. Typically, the maintenance tasks for these vertical structures are performed by human operators who must climb the structures to carry out these tasks, subjecting them to serious risks, including falling from considerable heights or electrocution. To avoid exposing human operators to such risks, for the past couple of decades, numerous researchers worldwide have been studying the possibility of using climbing robots to perform these dangerous tasks at height.

The main objective we propose in this project is to develop a new articulated climbing robot for the exploration and maintenance of vertical steel structures, with the ability to move in three-dimensional space. The main innovation of the robot to be developed in this project, compared to other climbing robots developed to date, is that the proposed robot will have binary actuation (all-or-nothing actuators), which greatly simplifies the planning and control of its movements. Additionally, the robot to be developed will have a moderately high degree of kinematic redundancy (between 10 and 12 degrees of freedom), allowing it to enjoy sufficiently high mobility to explore three-dimensional structures despite having only binary actuators. In this way, by combining binary actuation and kinematic redundancy, we aim to achieve a balance between simplicity and freedom of movement, thereby addressing the main complexity issues that currently prevent climbing robots from being used more extensively.

Keywords: climbing robot, binary operation

Head Researcher: M. Ballesta

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NAVICOM

Title: Robotic Navigation in Dynamic Environments by means of Compact Maps with Global Appearance Visual Information

Funded by: CICYT Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación

Duration: 01/09/2014 al 31/05/2017

Description:

Keywords: Mobile Robots, Visual Maps, Topological and Compact Navigation, Visual SLAM

Head Researcher: A. Gil, O. Reinoso

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AICO-SLAM

Title: Localization and Visual Map Creation for Robot Navigation with 6 DOF

Funded by: Generalitat Valenciana

Duration: Enero 2015 - Dic 2016

Description:

The execution of tasks by mobile robots moving in an unknown environment is one of the lines of research currently open and which is expected to have the greatest impact in the medium term. For this purpose, it is necessary to have as much precise and detailed information as possible as a reference so that the robot or robots that are performing a certain task can be located within the work environment. During the last few years, a lot of work has been done with excellent results in this line of research on the creation of environment maps through which robots can be located in a joint process (Simultaneous Localization And Mapping). The proposing research group has focused during the last years in this line of research having as starting data for the creation of the map, the visual information of each of the vision systems that the robots have. From this visual information, metric maps are extracted so that the robots can locate themselves and perform navigation tasks as accurately as possible.

It is in this area where the present research project is focused, in which, based on the results achieved so far, it is proposed to undertake new lines of research consisting of developing dynamic visual maps taking into account the semantic and topological information provided by the vision systems, all in environments with 6 degrees of freedom.
 

Keywords: Visual SLAM, Robotics

Head Researcher: L.M. Jiménez

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VISTOPMAP

Title: Topological mapping using the global appearance of a set of images

Funded by: Generalitat Valenciana

Duration: 01/01/2015 - 31/12/2016

Description:

When a mobile robot performs a task within a given environment, it needs to have some knowledge of that environment to effectively carry out the task. Generally, the environments in which robots operate are unstructured, complex, and changing. Thus, it is crucial to create models of these environments based on the information and observations captured by the robots within them to ensure effective localization. This is the focus of the project proposal.

The main objective we propose is to solve the problem of creating maps of an unknown environment, using the information provided by a vision system installed on the robot exploring the environment. The traditional approach to solving such problems involves extracting local features from scenes and creating metric maps in which the robot's position can be estimated relative to a global reference system, with an associated error. In contrast to this approach, we propose using the global appearance information of scenes to create topological maps, which contain information about the locations that make up the environment and the connectivity relationships between them. These are more recent and computationally efficient alternatives that, however, require in-depth study in tasks of creating robust maps of extensive and dynamically characteristic environments.

Keywords: Omnidirectional vision, global appearance, topological map, hierarchical localization

Head Researcher: L. Payá

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VISCOBOT II

Title: Integrated Exploration of Enviroments by means of Cooperative Robots in order to build 3D Visual and Topological Maps intended for 6 DOF Navigation

Funded by: CICYT Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación

Duration: 01/01/2011 al 31/12/2013

Description:

Keywords: Robotics, Visual SLAM, Cooperative Exploration

Head Researcher: O. Reinoso

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VISCOBOT: Percepction

Title: Cooperative Mobile Visual Perception Systems as support for tasks performed by means Robot Networks

Funded by: CICYT Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación

Duration: 1/10/2007 - 30/09/2010

Description:

Keywords: Robots Cooperativos, SLAM visual, Exploración cooperativa, Reconstrucción basada en apariencia

Head Researcher: O. Reinoso

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Cooperative Robotics

Title: Collaborative Teleoperation Tools. Application to cooperative robot control

Funded by: CICYT Ministerio de Educación y Ciencia

Duration: 12/2004 - 11/2007

Description:

Keywords: cooperative robots, collaborative control, teleoperation

Head Researcher: O. Reinoso

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Aidico-DISCO

Title: Study and analysis of disc-based cutting of natural stone by means monitoring the process

Funded by: Generalitat Valenciana

Duration: 1/1/2004 - 31/12/2005

Keywords: Stone Cutting

Head Researcher: O. Reinoso


ATTEND

Title: Modelling of Virtual enviroments for training in teleoperated systems for dynamic enviroments

Funded by: CICYT Ministerio de Educación y Ciencia

Duration: 28/12/2001 - 27/12/2004

Description:

Keywords: Teleoperation, robotics, learning, haptics, visual control

Head Researcher: O. Reinoso

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AYILTH

Title: Multiaxial test system fort area yield improvement in the fabrication of leather, enhancing leather characteristics and diminishing enviromental impact

Funded by: U.E.CRAFT- Programa GROWTH

Duration: 8/2001 - 7/2003

Description:

Keywords: Test, leather manufacturing

Head Researcher: L.M. Jiménez

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TREPA: Palmtree Climbing Teleoperated Robot

Title: Climbing robot for plamtree and cilyndrical structures maintenance

Funded by: CICYT Ministerio de Educación y Ciencia

Duration: 1/1/2000 - 31/12/2001

Description:

Keywords: Teleoperation, robotics, learning, haptics, visual control

Head Researcher: O. Reinoso

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Teleoperated Robot Control

Title: Automatic Learning systems in control architectures for Teleoperation

Funded by: CICYT Ministerio de Educación y Ciencia

Duration: 11/1998 - 12/2000

Description:

Keywords: Teleoperation, robotics, learning, computer vision

Head Researcher: O. Reinoso

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Automatic Finishing System

Title: Robot application for automatic finishing of plastic injection products

Funded by: IMPIVA - en colaboración con INESCOOP

Duration: 9/1998 - 9/1999

Description:

Keywords: Robotics

Head Researcher: O. Reinoso

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Subpixel Image Procesing for Border Detection

Title: Simulation Techniques for Resolution Enhancement in Digital Images with Pronounced Edges

Funded by: Generalitat Valenciana

Duration: 1/1/1999 - 31/12/1999

Description:

Keywords: Computer vision, Subpixel

Head Researcher: O. Reinoso

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Technical Assistance

RemoteRoboticsLab

Title: Convenio de Colaboración para el desarrollo del proyecto "Hacia la formación práctica ubicua y digital en robótica mediante laboratorios remotos”

Funded by: Centro de Inteligencia Digital de la Provincia de Alicante (CENID)

Duration: 6 meses (abril 2022 - octubre 2022)

Description:

Keywords: Robot paralelo, laboratorio remoto, prácticas de laboratorio, identificación, control

Head Researcher: Adrián Peidró

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abionica1.20T

Title: Desarrollo de algoritmos de detección y seguimiento de marcas visuales artificiales para la navegación de drones en tareas de inspección de grandes terrenos

Funded by: ABIONICA SOLUTIONS S.L.

Duration: 11/2020 - 04/2021

Head Researcher: A. Gil


abionica1.21T

Title: Empleo de algoritmos para conciencia situacional en vuelo mediante visión artificial

Funded by: Abionica Solutions S.L.

Duration: 05/2021 - 11/2021

Head Researcher: A. Gil


ACN2020

Title: Aplicación de sistemas de visión artificial para el desarrollo de entornos de realidad aumentada y análisis estadístico de datos metrológicos

Funded by: AUTOMATICA Y CONTROL NUMÉRICO, S.L.

Duration: 2020

Head Researcher: O. Reinoso


Tonalidad de Pieles

Title: Desarrollo de un software para la detección y medición de los diferentes tonos de piel

Funded by: PIES CUADRADOS LEATHER S.L.

Duration: 2019 - 2020

Description:

Head Researcher: O. Reinoso

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QBot

Title: Contrato de desarrollo de software

Funded by: Q-BOT LIMITED

Duration: 2016

Head Researcher: O. Reinoso


IXION1

Title: Contrato para la realización de los trabajos de desarrollo experimental que forman parte del Proyecto presentado al Plan Avanza2 de título "iCOPILOT Asistente inteligente a la conducción"

Funded by: IXION INDUSTRY AND AEROSPACE, S.L.

Duration: 2014

Head Researcher: O. Reinoso


IXION2

Title: Contrato para la realización de los trabajos de desarrollo experimental que forman parte del proyecto presentado al Plan Avanza2 de título "SUPVERT Vehículo Autónomo Aéreo para Inspección de estructuras Verticales"

Funded by: IXION INDUSTRY AND AEROSPACE S.L.

Duration: 2014

Head Researcher: O. Reinoso


GRASS: Artificial Grass Pavements

Title: Criteria generation for the development of damping bases applied to artificial grass floorings

Funded by: Euro Grass 2002 S.L.

Duration: 2009

Head Researcher: O. Reinoso


Essay A&CN (I)

Title: Development of an acquisition system for impact absorption and deformation essays covering normative UNE 4158 IN

Funded by: Automatica & Control Numérico (A&CN)

Duration: 1/2007 - 1/2008

Head Researcher: O. Reinoso


Essay A&CN (II)

Title: Analysis and deployment of a Mechanical System or Sporting Pavement covering normative UNE 4158 IN

Funded by: Automática & Control Numérico (A&CN)

Duration: 4/2007 - 1/2008

Head Researcher: O. Reinoso


PICUDO

Title: Computer Vision System for tracking and recording of Rhynchophorus Ferrugineus

Funded by: Ayuntamiento de Elche - Estación PHOENIX

Duration: 4/2006 - 7/2007

Description:

Keywords: Computer Vision, Surveyance

Head Researcher: O. Reinoso

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MetaleX

Title: Design and implementation of electronic search system for normative in the metal sector: "Metalex"

Funded by: FEMPA

Duration: 2006 - 2007

Description:

Keywords: metalex, fempa

Head Researcher: D. Ubeda


Inter-Univesity Collaboration Projects

AutomatL@bs

Title: AutomatL@bs: remote laboratory network for education in Control Theory

Funded by: Red E-Automatica CICYT

Duration: 2007 - 2009

Description:

Keywords: Remote Laboratories, Control Systems, Education on Automation

Head Researcher: O. Reinoso

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