ISEP - DM - Engenharia de Sistemas Computacionais Críticos
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Percorrer ISEP - DM - Engenharia de Sistemas Computacionais Críticos por Objetivos de Desenvolvimento Sustentável (ODS) "09:Indústria, Inovação e Infraestruturas"
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- Abordagem à especificação e verificação de requisitos: Caso de estudo em Updates via Over the AirPublication . CARVALHO, ANAISA CRISTINA PEREIRA; Pereira, David Miguel Ramalho; Pinho, Luís Miguel Rosário da SilvaModern vehicles rely on increasingly complex embedded software to deliver advanced features in performance, safety, and connectivity. In automotive software development, a precise requirement specification is essential to manage complexity and ensure reliability throughout the life cycle. Although natural language has been standard for documenting requirements, it often introduces ambiguity and misinterpretation. This thesis focuses on investigating the advantages of adopting formal requirements engineering over natural language approaches within the automotive field, using the Formal Requirements Elicitation Tool (FRET) tool and taking as use case a representative set of requirements of an Over-the-Air (OTA) updates project derived from the automotive industry. This analysis highlights how FRET improves clarity when eliciting, managing, analysis, and verifying requirements, thus serving as a strong asset for reducing errors in later development phases, which is specially important in critical projects. This work also provides evidence of the tangible benefits of formal techniques for the specification, analysis, and verification of vehicle software requirements, but also highlights that tools such as FRET still require formal logic training and, given the niche nature of the tool, that users maintain regular interaction with the developers in order to be aware of features that are fundamental for better usage of the tool, however that still remain undocumented in the literature.
- Co-simulation of vehicle distributed perception for road safety applicationsPublication . COSTA, TIAGO FILIPE LONGO; Severino, Ricardo Augusto Rodrigues da SilvaThe fast evolution of autonomous vehicles has introduced many new challenges, especially in perception, communication reliability, and energy efficiency. Traditional autonomous vehicles rely on onboard sensors, which are traditionally limited by range, computational cost, and occlusions. The goal of this thesis is to explore the integration of distributed perception systems to enhance situational awareness and improve autonomous vehicles decision-making. This work introduces an extension of the previously established co-simulation framework of Oliveira 2023 and Ribeiro 2024. The solution expands the capabilities of autonomous vehicles to sense beyond the onboard sensors while facilitating safe and efficient merging under different traffic conditions using roadside cameras and a roadside unit. The framework incorporates YOLO-based object detection with trilateration to combine data from a multicamera setup for improved localization accuracy and detection robustness across various traffic conditions. The experimental results show that compared to single-camera configurations, multi-camera fusion significantly increased recall and improved localization levels in conditions with different traffic and perception conditions. The roadside unit can also identify gaps for a safe and efficient merging and provide a target speed to the ego-vehicle via a simulated V2X communication. Overall, the proposed framework demonstrates the feasibility of infrastructure-assisted cooperative perception, providing a realistic and extensible testbed for future research in distributed perception, sensor fusion, and V2X communication for road safety applications.
- Development of an Intelligent and Efficient System for Monitoring and Optimising Sailboat PerformancePublication . TEIXEIRA, HENRIQUE MANUEL DE ALMEIDA E SILVA DOS SANTOS; Ferreira, Luis Miguel Moreira LinoThis thesis introduces an AI-powered tool that improves the analysis of sailing performance by automatically detecting thin, high-visibility stripes on sails. It uses computer vision and deep learning to extract key aerodynamic parameters, such as camber, draft, and twist. These parameters are essential for understanding sail shape and enhancing performance. The motivation lies in reducing reliance on traditional manual estimation methods while ensuring efficient onboard processing with lightweight devices like a GoPro camera connected to a tablet. The research starts with a review of current computer vision and AIbased image processing techniques. It also includes a sailing-specific look at the structural and aerodynamic features of sails. Several AI methods - Feature Extraction, Line Detection, Object Detection and Recognition, and Image Segmentation - are compared in this context. The analysis finds that semantic segmentation is the best technique for the goals of this thesis. A further comparison of semantic segmentation models - SegFormer, DeepLab, SAM, and Fast-SCNN - evaluated their accuracy, efficiency, and use for real-time deployment. This review shows that SegFormer is the most effective method for detecting lines in highresolution images of a sailboat's sail. The evaluation carried out in this thesis compares a traditional algorithm, developed in a previous thesis and reused here as a baseline, with an AI-based approach that uses the SegFormer model. This implementation relies on the SegFormer mit-b1 backbone, chosen for its balance between accuracy and efficiency. Mitb2 and mit-b3 were also tested for segmentation quality and processing time comparisons. The evaluation used a dataset of 23 videos and measured how well both methods could reliably detect lines for extracting aerodynamic parameters. The results show a clear tradeoff. The traditional method consistently produced faster processing times because it relies on lightweight operations optimised for CPU use. In contrast, the SegFormer model offered more accurate and reliable line segmentation but required more computational power. Among the tested backbones, SegFormer mit-b1 was the best choice, as mit-b2 and mit-b3 resulted in significantly longer processing times without substantial improvements in segmentation accuracy. In conclusion, the traditional algorithm is still beneficial when speed and limited resources are critical. However, the AI-based approach, especially with SegFormer mit-b1, stands out as a reliable and precise option when more computational resources are available. This work illustrates the potential to integrate AI-driven computer vision into sailing performance analysis, aiding in the accurate and automated extraction of aerodynamic parameters to enhance decision-making and performance improvement in sailing.
- Explorar comunicação V2X para reforçar a segurança em colisões de veículos autónomosPublication . MOREIRA, RODRIGO OLIVEIRA SANTOS; Severino, Ricardo Augusto Rodrigues da SilvaEnsuring safety in autonomous vehicles in complex traffic scenarios is arguably still one of the most important intelligent transport system challenges. Conventional perception systems that depend on sensors such as cameras, LiDAR, and radar are prone to line-of-sight-relevant constraints, adverse weather conditions, and occlusions that can impede threat detection in scenarios of blind turns or obstructed intersections. Vehicle-to-Everything (V2X) communication is also hailed as the hopeful add-on to enhance situational awareness outside vehicle sensor range, where cars may exchange position, velocity, brake, and intent data in real-time. This thesis investigates the application of V2X communication to enhance crash safety by developing a simulation infrastructure that integrates Unreal Engine 5 for photo-realistic scenario simulation and the eCAL middleware for lightweight, low-latency message passing. The infrastructure was developed to simulate cooperative perception for low-visibility scenarios, aiming to establish whether early communication introduces longer reaction times and allows for earlier pre-crash safety system activation, i.e., airbags. Even though the integration of a network simulator (OMNeT++) is incomplete as the compilers and toolchains are not compatible, the project has a simulated working environment using Unreal Engine 5 and ensures eCAL’s role in passing structured data using Protobuf. Experimental results indicate seamless communication between virtual vehicles with near-zero latency, which depicts the potential as well as the limitations of shared-memory communication without real-world network simulation. This parer results provide a clearer vision of the role played by V2X in complementing legacy perception systems on autonomous vehicles. They also herald the need for toolchain synchronizations and simulator compatibilities in follow-on efforts. While the framework is incomplete, it is structured to naturally generalize to more complicated scenarios, heterogeneous sensor fusion, and full real-time synchronization with network simulators. Lastly, this research confirms the standing of V2X as one of the foremost enablers of cooperative safety applications in the quest for safer autonomous driving.
- Improvement and Modernization of Corporate Virtualization Infrastructure: An Approach to Mitigate Risks and Enhance EfficiencyPublication . DIAS, JOÃO TIAGO TEIXEIRA DA ROCHA; Maio, Paulo Alexandre Fangueiro OliveiraThis dissertation investigates the modernization of a corporate virtualization estate whose Nuxis-based platform has reached end-of-life. A risk-driven evaluation framework is defined to compare technical, operational, and economic options, supported by a state-of-the-art synthesis of hypervisors and management stacks. Requirements and acceptance criteria are made explicit to guide decision-making across availability, disaster recovery, security/governance, observability, automation, and cost (TCO/ROI). A controlled proof-of-concept (PoC) validates key platform behaviors on a single representative virtual machine, exercising live migration, backup/restore, remote backup replication, centralized log forwarding, and API/RBAC enforcement. The results indicate feasibility under laboratory constraints and outline a migration path consistent with a hybrid strategy. The work does not include formal performance or scalability benchmarks; external validity is therefore limited and discussed as a threat. Future work proposes a staged pilot (8–12 heterogeneous VMs) with capacity exercises and production-grade economic assessment to generalize the findings.
- Real-Time Digital Twin Visualization and Simulation for the KARVEL Satellite PlatformPublication . LOPES, DANIEL FILIPE PIMENTEL DA ROSA; Carvalho, Tiago Diogo Ribeiro deWith advances in computational power and software, real-time data processing for digital twin rendering has become viable in aviation and the aerospace sector. This capability enables scientists and engineers to simulate real objects and their environments within a virtual space, allowing for accurate trajectory simulations, obstacle detection, and action planning before real-world implementation—thus reducing risks and optimising resources. In this study, data from the satellite’s onboard instruments are transmitted to mission control using network protocols optimised for real-time space communication. Mission control processes and visualises the telemetry, validates system behaviour, and issues telecommands to adjust spacecraft operations. A high-fidelity simulation, powered by a modern game engine, renders the satellite’s state and orbital behaviour in real time, based on telemetry data and telecommands. This work presents a proof-of-concept prototype for a digital twin application, aiming to explore and validate key functionalities that may be valuable in future satellite monitoring systems. The objective is to test the feasibility and usefulness of features such as real-time telemetry visualisation, telecommand execution, orbital simulation, and historical data playback in a virtual environment. The proposed architecture is designed to support seamless integration with telemetry-based systems and is aligned with aerospace standards wherever applicable. By simulating satellite behaviour and interactions with mission control, the prototype serves as a foundation for improving spacecraft monitoring, anomaly detection, and mission planning workflows.
- Real-Time Parallel Programming in RustPublication . SILVA, HUGO MARTINS COELHO DA; Carvalho, Tiago Diogo Ribeiro de; Pinho, Luís Miguel Rosário da SilvaThe development of real-time systems has gained increasing relevance in recent years, driven by the growing presence of critical applications in areas like robotics, automotive systems, and the Internet of Things. These systems require correctness and strict timing guarantees, which the increased complexity of modern systems has made more difficult. One common solution to increase performance has been the use of multi-core processors. However, the limits of sequential programming soon became clear, making parallelism a necessary step forward. This thesis presents the design, implementation, and evaluation of a custom framework for realtime parallelism. After an initial comparison between Rust and the OpenMP model in C, Rust was selected for its safety features, low-level control, and growing ecosystem. The goal was to test whether real-time behaviour could be reliably achieved in a Rust-based environment by taking control over thread and job management. A custom library was built and tested measuring metrics such as execution time, dispatch latency, and task distribution. Results show that, with careful design, efficient and predictable performance is possible even on a non-real-time OS like Linux. Future improvements include deeper scheduler integration, integration with real-time operating system, and deployment on embedded platforms such as RISC-V.
- Rumo a uma estrutura de verificação e validação baseada em arquiteturas de microserviçosPublication . HERNÁNDEZ, LIDIA GLORIA WILSON; Pinho, Luís Miguel Rosário da SilvaIn recent years, microservices architectures have become a popular approach in software development to address the challenges of scalability, maintainability, and agility of complex systems. This thesis focuses on the intersection of microservices architectures with formal verification techniques, especially in the context of safety-critical applications such as Assisted and/or Automated Driving solutions. The lack of research in this area requires a comprehensive investigation of how microservices architectures and formal verification techniques can interact effectively. The primary challenge is to seamlessly integrate microservices architectures with formal verification processes to ensure the safety properties typical of Cyber-Physical Systems, with a particular focus on autonomous driving applications. The importance of this work lies in the development of a robust framework that reconciles the decentralised nature of microservices with the requirements of formal verification. Research objectives include analysing the benefits and limitations of microservices, identifying suitable formal verification tools and microservices frameworks, designing microservices APIs, and conducting experiments for validation. Successful implementations and a comprehensive overview of formal verification methods in safety-critical systems form the basis for this research. As a proof of concept, this thesis presents the implementation of VVFramework, a microservicesbased hybrid verification and validation framework that integrates NuSMV, Z3, and an automatic Python-SMV translation pipeline and demonstrates its applicability for small case studies in safety-critical domains.
- Space is so monotonic: Introducing dynamic schedulers to satellite softwarePublication . PASCHOALETTO, ALEXANDER PINHEIRO; Sousa, Paulo Manuel Baltarejo deThe space industry has seen a trend shift in the recent decades by a handful of perspectives. The increase in competition via the introduction of more participants (both state-related and private), the expansion in mission scopes from simple research and defense to others such as internet service and even tourism, and the growing computational demand to handle these new missions are a few of them. On this scenario, satellites come as a fundamental element in most use cases. Just as any spacecraft, they need to be developed to withstand the harsh physical conditions of space, which imply techniques such as radiation hardening in some components to operate reliably, and are deployed in environments where maintenance is complicated. They are also expected to work autonomously for years, even decades. Given these and other challenges, satellites traditionally have a long and expensive development phase, and are slow-paced when it comes to incorporating recent technologies. For the on-board computers that go within them, single-core processors of outdated architectures, fixed-priority schedulers and low CPU workloads are dominant. This paradigm works for now, but may not in the years to come as trends such as Artificial Intelligence (AI) and real-time video streaming may also reach the space domain. The lastest iterations of space-oriented software do tackle the issue of development costs by introducing a greater code re-usability across missions, but little seems to be done regarding the software performance itself. In this context, this Thesis aims at bringing modern software paradigms into play by introducing the support of three widely known schedulers - Rate Monotonic (RM), Earliest Deadline First (EDF), and Constant Bandwidth Server (CBS) - into KARVEL, a space-oriented software originally developed by Critical Software. We evaluate their performance, advantages and shortcomings in both synthetic (by emulation work as busy-wait routines) and real-world workloads (by deploying it into a robot), and demonstrate that indeed dynamic algorithms such as EDF are capable of outperforming RM even on overloaded scenarios.