Browsing by Author "Silva, Manuel"
Now showing 1 - 10 of 99
Results Per Page
Sort Options
- Algae and Fish Farming: An EPS@ISEP 2022 ProjectPublication . Blomme, Rose-Farah; Domissy, Zoé; Dylik, Zuzanna; Hidding, Thomas; Röhe, Alina; Duarte, Abel J.; BENEDITA CAMPOS NEVES MALHEIRO, MARIA; JUSTO, Jorge; Ferreira, Paulo; Guedes, Pedro; Castro Ribeiro, Maria Cristina de; Silva, Manuel; Auer, Michael E.; Rüütmann, TiiaThe European Project Semester (EPS) at Instituto Superior de Engenharia do Porto (ISEP) is a capstone engineering design program where students, organised in multidisciplinary and multicultural teams, create a solution for a proposed problem, bearing in mind ethical, sustainability and market concerns. The project proposals are usually aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). New sustainable food production methods are essential to cope with the continuous population growth and aligned with SDG2 and SDG12. In this context, this paper describes the research and work done by a team of Erasmus students enrolled in EPS@ISEP during the spring of 2022. Since sustainable algae farming can be a suitable source of food, the team's goal was the design and develop a proof-of-concept prototype, named GREEN·flow, of a symbiotic aquaponic system to farm algae and fish. The smart GREEN·flow concept comprises a modular structure and an app for control and supervision. The proposed design was driven by state-of-the-art research, targeted to a specific market niche based on a market analysis, and considering sustainability and ethics concerns, all of which are described in this manuscript. A proof-of-concept prototype was built and tested to verify that it worked as intended.
- An Overview of Legged RobotsPublication . Tenreiro Machado, J. A.; Silva, ManuelThe objective of this paper is to present the evolution and the state-of-theart in the area of legged locomotion systems. In a first phase different possibilities for mobile robots are discussed, namely the case of artificial legged locomotion systems, while emphasizing their advantages and limitations. In a second phase an historical overview of the evolution of these systems is presented, bearing in mind several particular cases often considered as milestones on the technological and scientific progress. After this historical timeline, some of the present day systems are examined and their performance is analyzed. In a third phase are pointed out the major areas for research and development that are presently being followed in the construction of legged robots. Finally, some of the problems still unsolved, that remain defying robotics research, are also addressed.
- Application of Fractional Calculus in Control and ElectromagnetismPublication . Tenreiro Machado, J. A.; Barbosa, Ramiro; Jesus, Isabel S.; Silva, Manuel; Reis, Cecília; Figueiredo, LinoThis article illustrates two applications of fractional calculus (FC) in engineering. It has been recognized the advantageous use of this mathematical tool in the modeling and control of many dynamical systems. In this perspective, this paper investigates the use of FC in PID tuning and electrical potential.
- Application of Fractional Calculus in EngineeringPublication . Machado, J. A. Tenreiro; Jesus, Isabel S.; Barbosa, Ramiro; Silva, Manuel; Reis, CecíliaFractional Calculus (FC) goes back to the beginning of the theory of differential calculus. Nevertheless, the application of FC just emerged in the last two decades. It has been recognized the advantageous use of this mathematical tool in the modelling and control of many dynamical systems. Having these ideas in mind, this paper discusses a FC perspective in the study of the dynamics and control of several systems. The paper investigates the use of FC in the fields of controller tuning, legged robots, electrical systems and digital circuit synthesis.
- Application of Fractional Calculus in Genetic Algorithms, Transportation Systems and RoboticsPublication . Tenreiro Machado, J. A.; Silva, Manuel; Reis, Cecília; Figueiredo, Lino; Barbosa, Ramiro; Jesus, Isabel S.This article illustrates several applications of fractional calculus (FC). This paper investigates the use of FC in circuit synthesis, traffic systems and robot control.
- Application of fractional calculus in the system modelling and controlPublication . Tenreiro Machado, J. A.; Barbosa, Ramiro; Silva, Manuel; Figueiredo, Lino; Jesus, Isabel S.; Galhano, AlexandraFractional Calculus (FC) goes back to the beginning of the theory of differential calculus. Nevertheless, the application of FC just emerged in the last two decades, due to the progress in the area of chaos that revealed subtle relationships with the FC concepts. In the field of dynamical systems theory some work has been carried out but the proposed models and algorithms are still in a preliminary stage of establishment. Having these ideas in mind, the paper discusses a FC perspective in the study of the dynamics and control of several systems.
- Applications of fractional calculus in electrical and computer engineeringPublication . Tenreiro Machado, J. A.; Silva, Manuel; Barbosa, Ramiro; Jesus, Isabel S.; Reis, Cecília; Marcos, Maria da Graça; M. Afonso, Luís; Lima, Miguel F. M.; Pires, E. J. Solteiro; Ferreira, N. M. FonsecaFractional Calculus (FC) goes back to the beginning of the theory of differential calculus. Nevertheless, the application of FC just emerged in the last two decades, due to the progress in the area of chaos that revealed subtle relationships with the FC concepts. In the field of dynamical systems theory some work has been carried out but the proposed models and algorithms are still in a preliminary stage of establishment. Having these ideas in mind, the paper discusses a FC perspective in the study of the dynamics and control of several systems. This article illustrates several applications of fractional calculus in science and engineering. It has been recognized the advantageous use of this mathematical tool in the modeling and control of many dynamical systems. In this perspective, this paper investigates the use of FC in the fields of controller tuning, electrical systems, digital circuit synthesis, evolutionary computing, redundant robots, legged robots, robotic manipulators, nonlinear friction and financial modeling.
- Aquaponics System - An EPS@ISEP 2014 Spring ProjectPublication . Llauradó, Ana Mesas; Docherty, Arlene; Méry, Gwénaël; Sokolowska, Natalia; Keane, Sean; Duarte, Abel José; Malheiro, Benedita; Ribeiro, Maria Cristina; Ferreira, Fernando José; Silva, Manuel; Ferreira, Paulo; Guedes, PedroThe goal of this project, one of the proposals of the EPS@ISEP 2014 Spring, was to develop an Aquaponics System. Over recent years Aquaponics systems have received increased attention due to its possibilities in helping reduce strain on resources within 1st and 3rd world countries. Aquaponics is the combination of Hydroponics and Aquaculture and mimics a natural environment in order to successfully apply and enhance the understanding of natural cycles within an indoor process. By using this knowledge of natural cycles it was possible to create a system with the capabilities similar to that of a natural environment with the benefits of electronic adaptions to enhance the overall efficiency of the system. The multinational team involved in its development was composed of five students, from five countries and fields of study. This paper covers their solution, involving overall design, the technology involved and the benefits it could bring to the current market. The team was able to achieve the final rendered Computer Aided Design (CAD) drawings, successfully performed all the electronic testing, and designed a solution under budget. Furthermore, the solution presented was deeply studied from the sustainability viewpoint and the team also developed a product specific marketing plan. Finally, the students involved in this project obtained new knowledge and skills.
- Assessing assessmentPublication . Peres, Paula; Silva, Manuel; Tavares, CéliaIn the online environments some case studies we’ve developed and day-to-day experience have shown that, several times, online learning activities are promoted without considering the assessment of cognitive results that derive from those activities. Engaging students appears as the main justification. And when students’ involvement is not what it was expected? Should a student be penalized by not being a part of an online activity? Isn’t he/she also participating with the silent follow up that he/she chooses to do? Isn’t he/she learning? In the teacher’s point of view, the analysis of each of the students’ interventions may be a hard and time consuming task, especially in large classes. On the other hand, an automated process of the students’ interventions may be overrated in messages of social nature that show little cognitive activity. This context led to a study that aims to determine which are the most suitable activities for the learning process and objectives assessment. The research led into an innovative assessment model that seeks an alignment between objectives, softskills, assessment, content and other variables. The model that we suggest describes a solution for the elaboration of assessment questions by nature and expected results. It also suggests online activities that, for their innovative character, seek the students’ engagement, the objectives accomplishment and the balance between the teachers pedagogical, managerial, social and technical dimensions.
- B-Learning – An Institutional and Operational Development ToolPublication . Silva, Manuel; Peres, Paula; Tavares, Célia; Oliveira, Lucianae-Learning has been gaining a huge acceptance among educators, specially in Higher Education Institutions (HEI). This happens due to the exponential growth of the use of Internet and educational technologies that allowed deep transformations in the teaching-learning process and paradigm. Nowadays Internet has been reinforcing its role as a mediator-facilitator platform in education, allowing the creation of new contexts where learning opportunities can be expanded and potencially collaborative and where the resources are widely available. In this context, HEI have great responsibility in granting teacher and student access to suitable educational technologies, in providing the adequate means for the adoption of those tools and in the creation of opportunities for the dissemination of technical knowledge and pedagogical expertise amongst all intervenient. In fact, e-learning has become a competitive factor amongst institutions, and schools are confronted with the need to realign their mission, by developing and implementing different initiatives and projects so as to support and motivate teachers and to offer today’s students complementary means for the acquisition of knowledge and skills. In this paper we will analyse the case the Online Support Project (PAOL) and the approach followed by the School of Accounting and Administration of Oporto (ISCAP). The main goals of PAOL are to provide the implementation of computer assisted education at ISCAP in a blended learning model and to assist teachers and students in their adjustment to educational technologies, by developing training opportunities and resources, offering technical facilities and sharing good practice. The project began its activity in 2003 with WebCT, but soon changed its approach with the adoption of the open source platform Moodle and the integration of specialized staff to assist teachers and students on a daily basis. Since then, the b-learning model that PAOL initiated has been maturing the school’s educational culture, according to the teacher’s willingness or availability to integrate technology in the teaching-learning process. The use of Web technologies follows a similar trend to that of Roger’s diffusion of innovation theory, as it developed due to the enthusiasm of some innovators and grew steadily in adepts, having now 162 teachers who use Moodle on a regular basis. Teacher’s role in this process can be classified into different types, having, for instance, teachers that are keener to participate and integrate technology, teachers that only allow themselves to participate if the experience is proven successful by others and teachers that are reluctant to participate in any form. It is important to analyse the impact of these roles in the institutional development of b-learning so that we can develop new solutions and approaches that better meet the expectations of the institution. Thus, this paper will focus on the knowledge acquired throughout the experience in the use of Moodle by PAOL at ISCAP throughout the years (2003-2009), as well as the collaborative and cooperative relationships that have been established between teachers, students and the use of b-learning educational approaches and technology.