Percorrer por autor "Moreira, António Paulo"
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- DC motor educational kit: a teaching aid in control theoryPublication . Moreira, António Paulo; Costa, Paulo; Gonçalves, José; Faria, Brígida MónicaThis paper describes a laboratory control theory experiment supported by the use of a DC Motor Educational Kit. The impact, as a teaching aid, of the proposed laboratory control experiment is evaluated, having in mind the student’s feedback. The DC motor that is used in the developed educational Kit is the EMG30, being a low cost 12 V motor equipped with encoders and a 30:1 reduction gearbox. The experiment is based on real hardware and on simulation, using the SimTwo realistic simulation software. In order to implement the realistic simulation the EMG30 model was obtained. Students’ feedback was acquired using a questionnaire and the results confirmed the importance given to these practical experiments.
- Intelligent wheelchair driving: bridging the gap between virtual and real intelligent wheelchairsPublication . Faria, Brígida Mónica; Reis, Luís Paulo; Lau, Nuno; Moreira, António Paulo; Petry, Marcelo; Ferreira, Luís MiguelWheelchairs are important locomotion devices for handicapped and senior people. With the increase in the number of senior citizens and the increment of people bearing physical deficiencies, there is a growing demand for safer and more comfortable wheelchairs. So the new Intelligent Wheelchair (IW) concept was introduced. Like many other robotic systems, the main capabilities of an intelligent wheelchair should be: autonomous navigation with safety, flexibility and capability of avoiding obstacles; intelligent interface with the user; communication with other devices. In order to achieve these capabilities a good testbed is needed on which trials and users’ training may be safely conducted. This paper presents an extensible virtual environment simulator of an intelligent wheelchair to fulfill that purpose. The simulator combines the main features of robotic simulators with those built for training and evaluation of prospective wheelchair users. Experiments with the real prototype allowed having results and information to model the virtual intelligent wheelchair. Several experiments with real users of electric wheelchairs (suffering from cerebral palsy) and potential users of an intelligent wheelchair were performed. The System Usability Score allowed having the perception of the users in terms of the usability of the IW in the virtual environment. The mean score was 72 indicating a satisfactory level of the usability. It was possible to conclude with the experiments that the virtual intelligent wheelchair and environment are usable instruments to test and train potential users.
- IntellWheels: Intelligent wheelchair with user-centered designPublication . Petry, Marcelo R.; Moreira, António Paulo; Faria, Brígida Mónica; Reis, Luís PauloIntelligent wheelchairs can become an important solution to assist physically impaired individuals who find it difficult or impossible to drive regular powered wheelchairs. However, when designing the hardware architecture several projects compromise the user comfort and the wheelchair normal usability in order to solve robotic problems. In this paper we describe the main concepts regarding the design of the IntellWheels intelligent wheelchair. Our approach has a user-centered perspective, in which the needs and limitations of physically impaired users are given extensive attention at each stage of the design process. Finally, our design was evaluated through a public opinion assessment. A statistical analysis suggested that the design was effective to mitigate the visual and ergonomic impacts caused by the addition of sensorial and processing capabilities on the wheelchair
- Multimodal interaction and serious game for assistive robotic devices in a simulated environmentPublication . Faria, Brigida Monica; Dias, Daniel; Reis, Luís Paulo; Moreira, António PauloSports and physical activities allow people with disabilities to have better quality of life. The proposed work aimed to develop a multimodal interaction platform of robotic devices in a simulated environment for users to train different interface options. The suggested scenarios allow a user to interact with an Intelligent Wheelchair (IW) and with an Intelligent Robotic Ramp (IRR) performing different tasks individually or with a multiplayer option. The main objective of this multimodal interaction platform is to allow users, with severe disabilities, to move around and inclusive to play the Boccia Game more independently and autonomously. A preliminary set of experiments with 27 volunteers tested the scenarios and the multimodal interface for driving the intelligent wheelchair and to maneuver the IRR. The results show excellent performance when users maneuver the IRR in which the success achieved 90%. All dimensions of CEGEQ questionnaire presented good results. Therefore the solution created is quite satisfactory for a user point of view.
- Special Issue Robótica 2014Publication . Lau, Nuno; Moreira, António Paulo; Ventura, Rodrigo; Faria, Brígida MónicaThis special issue presents extended and revised versions of a selection of papers presented on the IEEE International Conference on Autonomous Robot Systems and Competitions (ICARSC-2014), that took place 14-15 May 2014 in the city of Espinho, Portugal.