Plantar Overload Diagnostic Support System

Diabetes Mellitus (DM) is a chronic disease that impacts the quality of life of individuals of various age groups, being listed among the 10 leading causes of death in adults. Associated with this disease are diabetic foot ulcers, which cause a reduction in the patient's mobility, quality of life and even amputation of the affected limb. In order to prevent this situation, the study in question aims to develop a mobile application to monitor the patient's gait. The gait data will be collected from a sensorised insole with pressure, temperature, and humidity sensors, with its subsequent analysis and real-time provision of warnings if situations conducive to the formation of a foot ulcer are found. As this insole has not yet been developed, a second mobile application was created to send data replicating several phases of the human gait. In addition, a web application was developed for healthcare professionals, where they can access the patient's personal data as well as various types of statistics associated with their gait, helping the professional to make decisions regarding the improvements that can be made regarding the way the patient performs the gait. All applications were properly tested and proved to be responsive on different devices, environments, and operating system versions. Throughout the development process, it was possible to observe that they will help the healthcare professional to detect more easily patterns in the patient's gait and will alert the patient to the need to change the way he supports the foot, with the provision of information in real time. In order to continue this study, it is hoped in the future to link this system with a clinical record repository, to create a learning algorithm that can use other parameters besides the reading records to create alerts, and finally, it would be useful to develop the application for the IOS operating system.A Diabetes Mellitus (DM) é uma doença crónica que tem impacto na qualidade de vida de indivíduos de vários grupos etários, estando listada entre as 10 principais causas de morte em adultos. Associadas a esta doença, estão as úlceras do pé diabético, que causam uma redução da mobilidade do paciente, da qualidade de vida e até mesmo a amputação do membro afetado. Com o objetivo de prevenir esta situação, o estudo em questão visa desenvolver uma aplicação móvel para monitorizar a marcha do paciente. Os dados da marcha serão recolhidos a partir de uma palmilha sensorizada com sensores de pressão, temperatura e humidade, com a sua posterior análise, e fornecimento, em tempo real, de alertas no caso de serem encontradas situações propícias para a formação de uma úlcera no pé. Como esta palmilha ainda não foi desenvolvida, foi criada uma segunda aplicação móvel para enviar dados que replicam várias fases da marcha humana. Além disso, foi desenvolvida uma aplicação Web para profissionais de saúde, onde podem ter acesso aos dados pessoais do paciente, bem como vários tipos de estatísticas associadas à sua marcha, ajudando o profissional a tomar decisões relativamente às melhorias que podem ser feitas em relação à forma de como o paciente executa a marcha. Todas as aplicações foram devidamente testadas e mostraram-se responsivas em diferentes dispositivos, ambientes e versões de sistema operativo. Ao longo do processo de desenvolvimento, foi possível observar que estas ajudarão o profissional de saúde a detetar mais facilmente padrões na marcha do paciente, e alertarão o mesmo para a necessidade de mudar a forma como apoia o pé, com o fornecimento de informação em tempo real. De forma a dar continuidade a este estudo, espera-se no futuro interligar este sistema com um repositório de registos clínicos, criar um algoritmo de aprendizagem que possa utilizar outros parâmetros para além dos registos de leituras para criar alertas, e, finalmente, seria útil desenvolver a aplicação para o sistema operativo IOS

IoT DEVICE MANAGEMENT AND CONFIGURATION

As the number of IoT devices grows, the management and configuration of IoT devices becomes crucial in resource constraint networks. It is hard to manage and configure a large amount of heterogeneous resource constraint IoT devices because people need to know how they connect to each other, what internet-enabled services are available to provide, and how people interact with things through the internet. The thing-centric approach focuses on user experience when engaging things, but the cloud- centric approach switch the focus to IoT services that can process data streams collected from things and applications that help get people joined in the IoT world. To manage IoT populations effectively in a centralized manner, not only does it mean that moving computational power closer to the edge is a way to reduce bandwidth and latency, but it also implies that it is necessary to build an architecture which can scale and manage tons of connected devices by a uniform interface. In particular, RESTful Web services can provide a uniform interface that operates resources by HTTP methods. For example, users can read and write data by a uniform interface, and a flowerpot can write data and be triggered to water plants by a uniform interface. Thus, in the scope of IoT, embedded middleware can implement uniform interface by REST model. Virtualizing physical things has emerged as a design pattern to build IoT systems. Resource less constraint devices are capable of being virtualized with enough CPU power, memory, networking, but they are more expensive and power consuming. However, resource highly constraint devices take advantage of low energy consumption and cheaper price, but they cannot be virtualized because they do not have ability to even run a single multi-threaded program. Therefore, it is very important to select the right platforms for the right roles. In our case, we use Raspberry Pi 3 as a middleware and Nordic nRF52832 as a BLE endpoint. In this thesis, a REST-based IoT management system based on Service-Oriented Architecture is built, and the performance of the system has been tested, including the response time of HTTP GET and POST requests of the centralized server in a Fog domain and a script engine onto a BLE-enabled endpoint

Dealing with large schema sets in mobile SOS-based applications

Although the adoption of OGC Web Services for server, desktop and web applications has been successful, its penetration in mobile devices has been slow. One of the main reasons is the performance problems associated with XML processing as it consumes a lot of memory and processing time, which are scarce resources in a mobile device. In this paper we propose an algorithm to generate efficient code for XML data binding for mobile SOS-based applications. The algorithm take advantage of the fact that individual implementations use only some portions of the standards' schemas, which allows the simplification of large XML schema sets in an application-specific manner by using a subset of XML instance files conforming to these schemas.Comment: 9 pages, 2 tables, 7 figure

Wireless sensor networks for active vibration control in automobile structures

International audienceWireless Sensor Network (WSN) are nowadays widely used in monitoring and tracking applications. This paper presents the feasibility of using Wireless Sensor Networks in active vibration control strategy. The active control method used is an active-structural acoustic control using piezoelectric sensors distributed on the car structure. This system aims at being merged in wireless sensor network whose head node collects data and process control law so as to command piezoelectric actuators wisely placed on the structure. We will study the feasibility of implementing WSN in active vibration control and introduce a complete design methodology to optimize hardware/software and control law synergy in mechatronic systems. A design space exploration will be conducted so as to identify the best Wireless Sensor Network platform and the resulting impact on control

Distributed Control Architecture

This document describes the development and testing of a novel Distributed Control Architecture (DCA). The DCA developed during the study is an attempt to turn the components used to construct unmanned vehicles into a network of intelligent devices, connected using standard networking protocols. The architecture exists at both a hardware and software level and provides a communication channel between control modules, actuators and sensors. A single unified mechanism for connecting sensors and actuators to the control software will reduce the technical knowledge required by platform integrators and allow control systems to be rapidly constructed in a Plug and Play manner. DCA uses standard networking hardware to connect components, removing the need for custom communication channels between individual sensors and actuators. The use of a common architecture for the communication between components should make it easier for software to dynamically determine the vehicle s current capabilities and increase the range of processing platforms that can be utilised. Implementations of the architecture currently exist for Microsoft Windows, Windows Mobile 5, Linux and Microchip dsPIC30 microcontrollers. Conceptually, DCA exposes the functionality of each networked device as objects with interfaces and associated methods. Allowing each object to expose multiple interfaces allows for future upgrades without breaking existing code. In addition, the use of common interfaces should help facilitate component reuse, unit testing and make it easier to write generic reusable software

Using SWE Standards for Ubiquitous Environmental Sensing: A Performance Analysis

Although smartphone applications represent the most typical data consumer tool from the citizen perspective in environmental applications, they can also be used for in-situ data collection and production in varied scenarios, such as geological sciences and biodiversity. The use of standard protocols, such as SWE, to exchange information between smartphones and sensor infrastructures brings benefits such as interoperability and scalability, but their reliance on XML is a potential problem when large volumes of data are transferred, due to limited bandwidth and processing capabilities on mobile phones. In this article we present a performance analysis about the use of SWE standards in smartphone applications to consume and produce environmental sensor data, analysing to what extent the performance problems related to XML can be alleviated by using alternative uncompressed and compressed formats

A Networked Dataflow Simulation Environment for Signal Processing and Data Mining Applications

In networked signal processing systems, dataflow graphs can be used to describe the processing on individual network nodes. However, to analyze the correctness and performance of these systems, designers must understand the interactions across these individual "node-level'' dataflow graphs --- as they communicate across the network --- in addition to the characteristics of the individual graphs. In this thesis, we present a novel simulation environment, called the NS-2 -- TDIF SIMulation environment (NT-SIM). NT-SIM provides integrated co-simulation of networked systems and combines the network analysis capabilities provided by the Network Simulator (ns) with the scheduling capabilities of a dataflow-based framework, thereby providing novel features for more comprehensive simulation of networked signal processing systems. Through a novel integration of advanced tools for network and dataflow graph simulation, our NT-SIM environment allows comprehensive simulation and analysis of networked systems. We present two case studies that concretely demonstrate the utility of NT-SIM in the contexts of a heterogeneous signal processing and data mining system design

Towards the simulation of cooperative perception applications by leveraging distributed sensing infrastructures

With the rapid development of Automated Vehicles (AV), the boundaries of their function alities are being pushed and new challenges are being imposed. In increasingly complex and dynamic environments, it is fundamental to rely on more powerful onboard sensors and usually AI. However, there are limitations to this approach. As AVs are increasingly being integrated in several industries, expectations regarding their cooperation ability is growing, and vehicle-centric approaches to sensing and reasoning, become hard to integrate. The proposed approach is to extend perception to the environment, i.e. outside of the vehicle, by making it smarter, via the deployment of wireless sensors and actuators. This will vastly improve the perception capabilities in dynamic and unpredictable scenarios and often in a cheaper way, relying mostly in the use of lower cost sensors and embedded devices, which rely on their scale deployment instead of centralized sensing abilities. Consequently, to support the development and deployment of such cooperation actions in a seamless way, we require the usage of co-simulation frameworks, that can encompass multiple perspectives of control and communications for the AVs, the wireless sensors and actuators and other actors in the environment. In this work, we rely on ROS2 and micro-ROS as the underlying technologies for integrating several simulation tools, to construct a framework, capable of supporting the development, test and validation of such smart, cooperative environments. This endeavor was undertaken by building upon an existing simulation framework known as AuNa. We extended its capabilities to facilitate the simulation of cooperative scenarios by incorporat ing external sensors placed within the environment rather than just relying on vehicle-based sensors. Moreover, we devised a cooperative perception approach within this framework, showcasing its substantial potential and effectiveness. This will enable the demonstration of multiple cooperation scenarios and also ease the deployment phase by relying on the same software architecture.Com o rápido desenvolvimento dos Veículos Autónomos (AV), os limites das suas funcional idades estão a ser alcançados e novos desafios estão a surgir. Em ambientes complexos e dinâmicos, é fundamental a utilização de sensores de alta capacidade e, na maioria dos casos, inteligência artificial. Mas existem limitações nesta abordagem. Como os AVs estão a ser integrados em várias indústrias, as expectativas quanto à sua capacidade de cooperação estão a aumentar, e as abordagens de perceção e raciocínio centradas no veículo, tornam-se difíceis de integrar. A abordagem proposta consiste em extender a perceção para o ambiente, isto é, fora do veículo, tornando-a inteligente, através do uso de sensores e atuadores wireless. Isto irá melhorar as capacidades de perceção em cenários dinâmicos e imprevisíveis, reduzindo o custo, pois a abordagem será baseada no uso de sensores low-cost e sistemas embebidos, que dependem da sua implementação em grande escala em vez da capacidade de perceção centralizada. Consequentemente, para apoiar o desenvolvimento e implementação destas ações em cooperação, é necessária a utilização de frameworks de co-simulação, que abranjam múltiplas perspetivas de controlo e comunicação para os AVs, sensores e atuadores wireless, e outros atores no ambiente. Neste trabalho será utilizado ROS2 e micro-ROS como as tecnologias subjacentes para a integração das ferramentas de simulação, de modo a construir uma framework capaz de apoiar o desenvolvimento, teste e validação de ambientes inteligentes e cooperativos. Esta tarefa foi realizada com base numa framework de simulação denominada AuNa. Foram expandidas as suas capacidades para facilitar a simulação de cenários cooperativos através da incorporação de sensores externos colocados no ambiente, em vez de depender apenas de sensores montados nos veículos. Além disso, concebemos uma abordagem de perceção cooperativa usando a framework, demonstrando o seu potencial e eficácia. Isto irá permitir a demonstração de múltiplos cenários de cooperação e também facilitar a fase de implementação, utilizando a mesma arquitetura de software

Integrating hardware agents into an enhanced multi-agent architecture for Ambient Intelligence systems

Ambient Intelligence (AmI) systems require the integration of complex and innovative solutions. In this sense, agents and multi-agent systems have characteristics such as autonomy, reasoning, reactivity, social abilities and pro-activity which make them appropriate for developing distributed systems based on Ambient Intelligence. In addition, the use of context-aware technologies is an essential aspect in these developments in order to perceive stimuli from the context and react to it autonomously. This paper presents the integration of the Hardware-Embedded Reactive Agents (HERA) Platform into the Flexible and User Services Oriented Multi-agent Architecture (FUSION@), a multi-agent architecture for developing AmI systems that integrates intelligent agents with a service-oriented architecture approach. Because of this integration, FUSION@ has the ability to manage both software and hardware agents by using self-adaptable heterogeneous wireless sensor networks. Preliminary results presented in this paper demonstrate the feasibility of FUSION@ as a future alternative for developing Ambient Intelligence systems where users and systems can use both software and hardware agents in a transparent way, achieving a higher level of ubiquitous computing and communication

Ressourcen Optimierung von SOA-Technologien in eingebetteten Netzwerken

Embedded networks are fundamental infrastructures of many different kinds of domains, such as home or industrial automation, the automotive industry, and future smart grids. Yet they can be very heterogeneous, containing wired and wireless nodes with different kinds of resources and service capabilities, such as sensing, acting, and processing. Driven by new opportunities and business models, embedded networks will play an ever more important role in the future, interconnecting more and more devices, even from other network domains. Realizing applications for such types of networks, however, is a highly challenging task, since various aspects have to be considered, including communication between a diverse assortment of resource-constrained nodes, such as microcontrollers, as well as flexible node infrastructure. Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) with Web services would perfectly meet these unique characteristics of embedded networks and ease the development of applications. Standardized Web services, however, are based on plain-text XML, which is not suitable for microcontroller-based devices with their very limited resources due to XML's verbosity, its memory and bandwidth usage, as well as its associated significant processing overhead. This thesis presents methods and strategies for realizing efficient XML-based Web service communication in embedded networks by means of binary XML using EXI format. We present a code generation approach to create optimized and dedicated service applications in resource-constrained embedded networks. In so doing, we demonstrate how EXI grammar can be optimally constructed and applied to the Web service and service requester context. In addition, so as to realize an optimized service interaction in embedded networks, we design and develop an optimized filter-enabled service data dissemination that takes into account the individual resource capabilities of the nodes and the connection quality within embedded networks. We show different approaches for efficiently evaluating binary XML data and applying it to resource constrained devices, such as microcontrollers. Furthermore, we will present the effectful placement of binary XML filters in embedded networks with the aim of reducing both, the computational load of constrained nodes and the network traffic. Various evaluation results of V2G applications prove the efficiency of our approach as compared to existing solutions and they also prove the seamless and successful applicability of SOA-based technologies in the microcontroller-based environment