Spinoffs and Technology Transfer

Active Space Technologies is a European based company operating in space, aeronautics, nuclear and industry. Active Space Technologies offers bespoke electro- mechanical systems for extreme harsh environments, such as instruments and mechanisms, actuators and wireless sensing systems.Our systems are qualified for high - g, high temperature radiation environments.Our core activities focus on:space instrumentation, structural and thermal control systems for space applications, harsh environment monitoring and control systems for aerospace applications, remote handling systems for hazardous and radiation environments, automated systems for industry.

Ingeniarius is a Portuguese SME that promotes R&D in the many fields of engineering, with particular focus in intelligent systems and robotics. Ingeniarius has been producing and commercializing disruptive state-of-the-art solutions, from which one may highlight the design of ROS-enabled mobile robots and IoT devices. Ingeniarius is currently coordinating three R&D projects centered in mechatronics, multi-robot systems, field robotics and artificial perception.

OptiSigma provides several innovative products and services related to energy and environment. Examples of innovative products/services are: InSwitch – Low-cost ultra-compact electronic device, installed inside the motor terminal box. It can potentially replace the millions of traditional electromechanical contactors. The InSwitch performs soft-starting, intelligent connection-mode management (saving energy and improving power factor), advanced motor protection and fault diagnosis and remote control and monitoring/sensing. The Portuguese Electricity Company (EDP) awarded this product with an innovation prize of 50 k€ and evaluated this solution in 5 M€. IUVSense | National project aiming the local installation of a large number of low-cost solar-powered UVB displays as a measure to prevent excessive/dangerous solar exposure during outdoor activities. This project is officially supported “Liga Portuguesa Contra o Cancro” and funding from the “PT Foundation” is being negotiated. Most of the City Halls will install this devices in the sea and river beaches. Awards/Prizes: > 9º Concurso Poliempreende, 1º Prémio, Viseu, 2012 (12.5 k€); > Prémio EDP Inovação 2013, 1º Prémio, Lisboa, 2013 (50 k€); > Arrisca C 2012, Prémio I.S.A./Smart Ventures, Coimbra, 2013 (25 k€); > Arrisca C 2013, Prémios 'Câmara Municipal de Coimbra', 'Coimbra Inovação Parque', 'Parque Tecnológico de Óbidos', 'ANJE-Tech-Entrepreneurship' and 'Garantia Mútua' na Categoria de Melhor Ideia de Negócio, Coimbra, 2014 (total equivalent to 10 k€).

An innovative dynamic identification model for robot manipulators has been developed. The work addresses physical feasibility of robot dynamics identification using Linear Matrix Inequalities (LMIs). Inertia tensor inequalities (namely positive definiteness) have been extensively used among other physical constraints to check consistency of identification methods. Recently, an extra inequality associated to inertia tensor eigenvalues was included to check physical consistency, showing previous methods were incomplete. We showed that this extra inequality incorporates positive definiteness while being more restrictive, and included it in the LMI framework to obtain fully physical estimates. Its relevance was verified through real 7-DOF robot manipulator experiments, described in the paper Inertia Tensor Properties in Robot Dynamics Identification: A Linear Matrix Inequality Approach, IEEE/ASME Transactions on Mechatronics, Vol. 24, N. 1, pp. 406-411, 2019. Top international researchers validated this model and confirmed its performance. In 2021, a comparative study by Italian authors also showed the method as state-of-the-art in this area. Additionally, this method is used by the groups of Prof. Jean-Jacques Slotine (MIT) and Prof. Bruno Siciliano.

Perceive3D (P3D) builds on advanced knowledge in computer vision to deliver innovative software systems for Computer-Aided Orthopaedic Surgery (CAOS). The company is launching into market the first system for video-based surgical navigation that combines INTELLIGENT IMAGE PROCESSING to perform 3D measurements over bone anatomy, with AUGMENTED REALITY to overlay information and guide the surgeon in a very intuitive manner. Foundation: July, 2013 by João P. Barreto (ISR Staff) and Rui Melo (ISR PhD). Awards: Winner of track of “Life-Science” of Building Global Innovators, a venture competition organized by MIT. Funding: Secured seed round from PV, the largest venture capital in Portugal. IP Portofolio: 2 patents in international stage (exclusive right acquired to UC-ISR)