Fault-Tolerant Circuits and Interconnects for Biomedical Implantable Devices

Proyecto de Investigación (Código 1360014) Instituto Tecnológico de Costa Rica. Vicerrectoría de Investigación y Extensión (VIE). Escuela de Ingeniería Electrónica, 2020Los dispositivos médicos implantables (IMDs) son sistemas críticos para la seguridad con requerimientos de potencia muy bajos, los cuales se utilizan para el tratamiento a largo plazo de diferentes condiciones médicas. IMDs utilizan un número de componentes cada vez más elevado (sensores, actuadores, procesadores, bloques de memoria), que tienen que comunicarse entre ellos en un Sistema en Chip (SoC). En este proyecto, diferentes tipos de interconexiones (punto a punto, bus, red en chip) fueron evaluadas considerando su tolerancia a fallas, consumo de potencia y capacidades de comunicación. Como parte de los productos se desarrolló una base de datos escalable sobre sistemas médicos implantables reportados en la literatura hasta el año 2018, con el fin de conocer el estado del arte y las tendencias sobre la incorporación de sistemas electrónicos en este tipo de solución. Basado en este estudio inicial, se procedió a proponer un marco de trabajo de evaluación de interconexiones, el que incorpora un generador de topologías y el flujo de diseño para evaluar estas topologías en términos de potencia y tolerancia a fallas a nivel de simulación, junto con la propuesta de una métrica para comparar diferentes arquitecturas a nivel de pre-síntesis (previo a la consolidación del diseño). Por último, un diseño e implementación a nivel de circuito integrado (IC) de una solución de interconexiones ajustada a IMDs se incorporó en el diseño de un microprocesador a la medida. Este proyecto se desarrolló en el marco de la cooperación con el Centro Médico Erasmus (Erasmus MC) en los Países Bajos y la Universidad Católica del Uruguay

Real-time acoustic event classification in urban environments using low-cost devices

En la societat moderna i en constant evolució, la presència de soroll s'ha convertit en un perill diari per a una quantitat preocupant de la població. Estar sobreexposats a alts nivells de soroll pot interferir en activitats quotidianes i podria causar greus efectes secundaris en termes de salut com mal humor, deteriorament cognitiu en nens o malalties cardiovasculars. Hi ha estudis que assenyalen que no només afecta el nivell de soroll al qual estan exposats els ciutadans, sinó que també és important el tipus de so. Així doncs, no tots els esdeveniments acústics tenen el mateix impacte en la població. Amb les tecnologies que es fan servir actualment per a monitorar la contaminació acústica, és difícil identificar automàticament quins sorolls estan més presents en les zones més contaminades. De fet, per avaluar les queixes dels ciutadans, normalment s'envien tècnics a la zona on s'hi ha produït la queixa per avaluar si aquesta és rellevant. A causa de l'elevat nombre de queixes que es generen diàriament (especialment en zones molt poblades), el desenvolupament de Xarxes de Sensors Acústics Sense Fils (WASN) que monitorin automàticament la contaminació acústica d'una zona s'ha convertit en una tendència d'investigació. En l'actualitat, la majoria de les xarxes desplegades en entorns urbans només mesuren el nivell de soroll equivalent fent servir equipaments cars i precisos però no permeten d'identificar les fonts de soroll presents a cada lloc. Donat l'elevat cost dels sensors, aquests solen col·locar-se en llocs estratègics, però no monitoren zones àmplies. L'objectiu d'aquesta tesi és abordar un important repte que encara està latent en aquest camp: monitorar acústicament zones de gran envergadura en temps real i de forma escalable i econòmica. En aquest sentit, s'ha seleccionat el centre de la ciutat de Barcelona com a cas d'ús de referència per a dur a terme aquesta investigació. En primer lloc, aquesta tesi parteix d'una anàlisi precís d'un conjunt de 6 hores de dades anotades corresponents al paisatge sonor d'una zona concreta de la ciutat (l'Eixample). Després, es presenta una arquitectura distribuïda escalable que fa servir dispositius de baix cost per a reconèixer esdeveniments acústics. Per validar la viabilitat d'aquest enfocament, s'ha implementat un algorisme d'aprenentatge profund que s'executa sobre aquesta arquitectura per a classificar 10 categories acústiques diferents. Com que els nodes del sistema proposats estan disposats en una topologia amb redundància física (més d'un node pot escoltar el mateix esdeveniment acústic simultàniament), s'han recollit dades en quatre punts del centre de Barcelona respectant l'arquitectura dels sensors. Per últim, donat que els esdeveniments del món real tendeixen a produir-se simultàniament, s'ha millorat l'algorisme d'aprenentatge profund perquè suporti la classificació multietiqueta (és a dir, polifònica). Els resultats mostren que, amb l'arquitectura del sistema proposat, és possible classificat esdeveniments acústic en temps real. En general, les contribucions d'aquesta investigació són les següents: (1) el disseny d'una WASN de baix cost i escalable, que pugui monitorar àrees a gran escala i (2) el desenvolupament d'un algorisme de classificació en temps real executat sobre els nodes de detecció dissenyats.En la sociedad moderna y en constante evolución, la presencia de ruido se ha convertido en una amenaza diaria para una cantidad preocupante de la población. Estar sobreexpuesto a altos niveles de ruido puede interferir en las actividades cotidianas y podría acarrear graves efectos secundarios en términos de salud como mal humor, deterioro cognitivo en niños o enfermedades cardiovasculares. Hay estudios que señalan que no solo afecta el nivel de ruido al que están expuestos los ciudadanos: también es importante el tipo de sonido. Es decir, no todos los eventos acústicos tienen el mismo impacto en la población. Con las tecnologías que se utilizan actualmente para monitorizar la contaminación acústica, es difícil identificar automáticamente qué sonidos están más presentes en las zonas más contaminadas. De hecho, para evaluar las quejas de los ciudadanos, normalmente se envían técnicos a la zona donde se ha realizado la queja para evaluar si ésta es relevante. Debido al elevado número de quejas que se generan diariamente (especialmente en zonas muy pobladas), el desarrollo de Redes de Sensores Acústicos Inalámbricos (WASN) que monitoricen automáticamente la contaminación acústica se ha convertido en una tendencia de investigación. Actualmente, la mayoría de redes desplegadas en entornos urbanos solo miden el nivel de ruido equivalente mediante equipos caros y precisos, pero no son capaces de identificar las fuentes de ruido presentes en cada lugar. Dado el elevado precio de estos sensores, los nodos suelen colocarse en lugares estratégicos, pero no monitorizan zonas amplias. El objetivo de esta tesis es abordar un importante reto aún latente en este campo: monitorizar acústicamente zonas de gran tamaño en tiempo real y de forma escalable y económica. En este sentido, se ha seleccionado la ciudad de Barcelona como caso de uso para llevar a cabo esta investigación. Primeramente, esta tesis parte de un análisis preciso de un conjunto de 6 horas de datos anotados correspondientes al paisaje sonoro de una zona concreta de la ciudad (l'Eixample). Después, se presenta una arquitectura distribuida escalable que utiliza dispositivos de bajo coste para reconocer eventos acústicos. Para validar la viabilidad del enfoque, se ha implementado un algoritmo de aprendizaje profundo ejecutado sobre esta arquitectura para clasificar 10 categorías acústicas diferentes. Como los nodos del sistema propuesto están dispuestos en una topología con redundancia física (más de un nodo puede escuchar el mismo evento acústico a la vez), se han recogido datos en cuatro puntos del centro de Barcelona respetando la arquitectura de los sensores. Por último, dado que los eventos del mundo real tienden a producirse simultáneamente, se ha mejorado el algoritmo de aprendizaje profundo para que soporte la clasificación multietiqueta (polifónica). Los resultados muestran que, con la arquitectura del sistema propuesto, es posible clasificar eventos acústicos en tiempo real. En general, las contribuciones de esta investigación son las siguientes (1) diseño de una WASN de bajo coste y escalable, capaz de monitorizar áreas a gran escala y (2) desarrollo de un algoritmo de clasificación en tiempo real ejecutado sobre los nodos de detección diseñados.In the modern and ever-evolving society, the presence of noise has become a daily threat to a worrying amount of the population. Being overexposed to high levels of noise may interfere with day-to-day activities and, thus, could potentially bring severe side-effects in terms of health such as annoyance, cognitive impairment in children or cardiovascular diseases. Some studies point out that it is not only the level of noise that matters but also the type of sound that the citizens are exposed to. That is, not all the acoustic events have the same impact on the population. With current technologies used to track noise levels, for both private and public administrations, it is hard to automatically identify which sounds are more present in most polluted areas. Actually, to assess citizen complaints, technicians are typically sent to the area to be surveyed to evaluate if the complaint is relevant. Due to the high number of complaints that are generated every day (specially in highly populated areas), the development of Wireless Acoustic Sensor Networks (WASN) that would automatically monitor the noise pollution of a certain area have become a research trend. Currently, most of the networks that are deployed in cities measure only the equivalent noise level by means of expensive but highly accurate hardware but cannot identify the noise sources that are present in each spot. Given the elevated price of these sensors, nodes are typically placed in specific locations, but do not monitor wide areas. The purpose of this thesis is to address an important challenge still latent in this field: to acoustically monitor large-scale areas in real-time and in a scalable and cost efficient way. In this regard, the city centre of Barcelona has been selected as a reference use-case scenario to conduct this research. First, this dissertation starts with an accurate analysis of an annotated dataset of 6 hours corresponding to the soundscape of a specific area of the city (l’Eixample). Next, a scalable distributed architecture using low-cost computing devices to recognize acoustic events is presented. To validate the feasibility of this approach, a deep learning algorithm running on top of this architecture has been implemented to classify 10 different acoustic categories. As the sensing nodes of the proposed system are arranged in such a way that it is possible to take advantage of physical redundancy (that is, more than one node may hear the same acoustic event), data has been gathered in four spots of the city centre of Barcelona respecting the sensors topology. Finally, as real-world events tend to occur simultaneously, the deep learning algorithm has been enhanced to support multilabel (i.e., polyphonic) classification. Results show that, with the proposed system architecture, it is possible to classify acoustic events in real-time. Overall, the contributions of this research are the following: (1) the design of a low-cost, scalable WASN able to monitor large-scale areas and (2) the development of a real-time classification algorithm able to run over the designed sensing nodes

Implementación Multi-FPGA de modelos articiales del cerebro

Proyecto de investigación (Código: 1360013) Instituto Tecnológico de Costa Rica. Vicerrectoría de Investigación y Extensión (VIE). Escuela de Ingeniería Electrónica, 2019A research and development project has been completed. The project has been nanced and supported by Vicerrector a de Investigaci on y Extensi on, Vicerrector a de Docencia and Escuela de Ingenier a Electr onica from Tecnológico de Costa Rica, and the Neuroscience Department at Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam, the Netherlands This project intended to develop the base of a massive FPGA-based simulation network for biologically-meaningful brain modeling. The network is able to model di erent models of biologically-accurate arti cial neural networks. An accessible Web-based platform provides access for researchers interested in using the platform for their studies Neuroscience, and related elds. The nal result of the project is a exible, scalable, Multi-FPGA board platform, accessible via a web graphic interface, including three neural models tipically used in neuroscience. The project has produced three Scopus-indexed publications. Published results show that the platform is competitive against similar platforms recently reported in the literature.Se ha concluido un proyecto de investigación y desarrollo financiado y apoyado por la Vicerrectoría de Investigación y Extensión, la Vicerrectoría de Docencia y la Escuela de Ingeniería Electrónica del Tecnológico de Costa Rica, el Departamento de Neurociencia del Centro Médico Erasmus en Rotterdam, Países Bajos. Este proyecto pretendía desarrollar una red masiva basada en FPGAs para simulaciones biológicamente significativas de modelos cerebrales. La red debía ser capaz de modelar distintos modelos de redes neuronales biológicamente precisas. Una interfaz Web proveería de acceso a investigadores en el mundo entero que quieran usar la plataforma para sus estudios en neurociencia. El resultado final incluye una plataforma flexible y escalable de varias tarjetas con sistemas FPGA, accesible vía una interfaz gráfica, y que trae ya integrados los tres modelos neuronales usados típicamente por los investigadores en neurociencia. El proyecto ha producido tres publicaciones indexadas Scopus. Los resultados publicados muestras que la plataforma es competitiva cuando se compara con plataformas similares recientemente reportadas en la literatura

Progetto di reti Sensori Wireless e tecniche di Fusione Sensoriale

Ambient Intelligence (AmI) envisions a world where smart, electronic environments are aware and responsive to their context. People moving into these settings engage many computational devices and systems simultaneously even if they are not aware of their presence. AmI stems from the convergence of three key technologies: ubiquitous computing, ubiquitous communication and natural interfaces. The dependence on a large amount of fixed and mobile sensors embedded into the environment makes of Wireless Sensor Networks one of the most relevant enabling technologies for AmI. WSN are complex systems made up of a number of sensor nodes, simple devices that typically embed a low power computational unit (microcontrollers, FPGAs etc.), a wireless communication unit, one or more sensors and a some form of energy supply (either batteries or energy scavenger modules). Low-cost, low-computational power, low energy consumption and small size are characteristics that must be taken into consideration when designing and dealing with WSNs. In order to handle the large amount of data generated by a WSN several multi sensor data fusion techniques have been developed. The aim of multisensor data fusion is to combine data to achieve better accuracy and inferences than could be achieved by the use of a single sensor alone. In this dissertation we present our results in building several AmI applications suitable for a WSN implementation. The work can be divided into two main areas: Multimodal Surveillance and Activity Recognition. Novel techniques to handle data from a network of low-cost, low-power Pyroelectric InfraRed (PIR) sensors are presented. Such techniques allow the detection of the number of people moving in the environment, their direction of movement and their position. We discuss how a mesh of PIR sensors can be integrated with a video surveillance system to increase its performance in people tracking. Furthermore we embed a PIR sensor within the design of a Wireless Video Sensor Node (WVSN) to extend its lifetime. Activity recognition is a fundamental block in natural interfaces. A challenging objective is to design an activity recognition system that is able to exploit a redundant but unreliable WSN. We present our activity in building a novel activity recognition architecture for such a dynamic system. The architecture has a hierarchical structure where simple nodes performs gesture classification and a high level meta classifiers fuses a changing number of classifier outputs. We demonstrate the benefit of such architecture in terms of increased recognition performance, and fault and noise robustness. Furthermore we show how we can extend network lifetime by performing a performance-power trade-off. Smart objects can enhance user experience within smart environments. We present our work in extending the capabilities of the Smart Micrel Cube (SMCube), a smart object used as tangible interface within a tangible computing framework, through the development of a gesture recognition algorithm suitable for this limited computational power device. Finally the development of activity recognition techniques can greatly benefit from the availability of shared dataset. We report our experience in building a dataset for activity recognition. Such dataset is freely available to the scientific community for research purposes and can be used as a testbench for developing, testing and comparing different activity recognition techniques

Enhanced Living Environments

This open access book was prepared as a Final Publication of the COST Action IC1303 “Algorithms, Architectures and Platforms for Enhanced Living Environments (AAPELE)”. The concept of Enhanced Living Environments (ELE) refers to the area of Ambient Assisted Living (AAL) that is more related with Information and Communication Technologies (ICT). Effective ELE solutions require appropriate ICT algorithms, architectures, platforms, and systems, having in view the advance of science and technology in this area and the development of new and innovative solutions that can provide improvements in the quality of life for people in their homes and can reduce the financial burden on the budgets of the healthcare providers. The aim of this book is to become a state-of-the-art reference, discussing progress made, as well as prompting future directions on theories, practices, standards, and strategies related to the ELE area. The book contains 12 chapters and can serve as a valuable reference for undergraduate students, post-graduate students, educators, faculty members, researchers, engineers, medical doctors, healthcare organizations, insurance companies, and research strategists working in this area

NASA Tech Briefs, August 1993

Topics include: Computer Graphics; Electronic Components and Circuits; Electronic Systems; Physical Sciences; Materials; Computer Programs; Mechanics; Machinery; Fabrication Technology; Mathematics and Information Sciences; Life Sciences; Books and Reports

Intelligent Sensor Networks

In the last decade, wireless or wired sensor networks have attracted much attention. However, most designs target general sensor network issues including protocol stack (routing, MAC, etc.) and security issues. This book focuses on the close integration of sensing, networking, and smart signal processing via machine learning. Based on their world-class research, the authors present the fundamentals of intelligent sensor networks. They cover sensing and sampling, distributed signal processing, and intelligent signal learning. In addition, they present cutting-edge research results from leading experts

Autonomous navigation and mapping of mobile robots based on 2D/3D cameras combination

Aufgrund der tendenziell zunehmenden Nachfrage an Systemen zur Unterstützung des alltäglichen Lebens gibt es derzeit ein großes Interesse an autonomen Systemen. Autonome Systeme werden in Häusern, Büros, Museen sowie in Fabriken eingesetzt. Sie können verschiedene Aufgaben erledigen, beispielsweise beim Reinigen, als Helfer im Haushalt, im Bereich der Sicherheit und Bildung, im Supermarkt sowie im Empfang als Auskunft, weil sie dazu verwendet werden können, die Verarbeitungszeit zu kontrollieren und präzise, zuverlässige Ergebnisse zu liefern. Ein Forschungsgebiet autonomer Systeme ist die Navigation und Kartenerstellung. Das heißt, mobile Roboter sollen selbständig ihre Aufgaben erledigen und zugleich eine Karte der Umgebung erstellen, um navigieren zu können. Das Hauptproblem besteht darin, dass der mobile Roboter in einer unbekannten Umgebung, in der keine zusätzlichen Bezugsinformationen vorhanden sind, das Gelände erkunden und eine dreidimensionale Karte davon erstellen muss. Der Roboter muss seine Positionen innerhalb der Karte bestimmen. Es ist notwendig, ein unterscheidbares Objekt zu finden. Daher spielen die ausgewählten Sensoren und der Register-Algorithmus eine relevante Rolle. Die Sensoren, die sowohl Tiefen- als auch Bilddaten liefern können, sind noch unzureichend. Der neue 3D-Sensor, nämlich der "Photonic Mixer Device" (PMD), erzeugt mit hoher Bildwiederholfrequenz eine Echtzeitvolumenerfassung des umliegenden Szenarios und liefert Tiefen- und Graustufendaten. Allerdings erfordert die höhere Qualität der dreidimensionalen Erkundung der Umgebung Details und Strukturen der Oberflächen, die man nur mit einer hochauflösenden CCD-Kamera erhalten kann. Die vorliegende Arbeit präsentiert somit eine Exploration eines mobilen Roboters mit Hilfe der Kombination einer CCD- und PMD-Kamera, um eine dreidimensionale Karte der Umgebung zu erstellen. Außerdem wird ein Hochleistungsalgorithmus zur Erstellung von 3D Karten und zur Poseschätzung in Echtzeit unter Verwendung des "Simultaneous Localization and Mapping" (SLAM) Verfahrens präsentiert. Der autonom arbeitende, mobile Roboter soll ferner Aufgaben übernehmen, wie z.B. die Erkennung von Objekten in ihrer Umgebung, um verschiedene praktische Aufgaben zu lösen. Die visuellen Daten der CCD-Kamera liefern nicht nur eine hohe Auflösung der Textur-Daten für die Tiefendaten, sondern werden auch für die Objekterkennung verwendet. Der "Iterative Closest Point" (ICP) Algorithmus benutzt zwei Punktwolken, um den Bewegungsvektor zu bestimmen. Schließlich sind die Auswertung der Korrespondenzen und die Rekonstruktion der Karte, um die reale Umgebung abzubilden, in dieser Arbeit enthalten.Presently, intelligent autonomous systems have to perform very interesting tasks due to trendy increases in support demands of human living. Autonomous systems have been used in various applications like houses, offices, museums as well as in factories. They are able to operate in several kinds of applications such as cleaning, household assistance, transportation, security, education and shop assistance because they can be used to control the processing time, and to provide precise and reliable output. One research field of autonomous systems is mobile robot navigation and map generation. That means the mobile robot should work autonomously while generating a map, which the robot follows. The main issue is that the mobile robot has to explore an unknown environment and to generate a three dimensional map of an unknown environment in case that there is not any further reference information. The mobile robot has to estimate its position and pose. It is required to find distinguishable objects. Therefore, the selected sensors and registered algorithms are significant. The sensors, which can provide both, depth as well as image data are still deficient. A new 3D sensor, namely the Photonic Mixer Device (PMD), generates a high rate output in real-time capturing the surrounding scenario as well as the depth and gray scale data. However, a higher quality of three dimension explorations requires details and textures of surfaces, which can be obtained from a high resolution CCD camera. This work hence presents the mobile robot exploration using the integration of CCD and PMD camera in order to create a three dimensional map. In addition, a high performance algorithm for 3D mapping and pose estimation of the locomotion in real time, using the "Simultaneous Localization and Mapping" (SLAM) technique is proposed. The flawlessly mobile robot should also handle the tasks, such as the recognition of objects in its environment, in order to achieve various practical missions. Visual input from the CCD camera not only delivers high resolution texture data on depth volume, but is also used for object recognition. The “Iterative Closest Point” (ICP) algorithm is using two sets of points to find out the translation and rotation vector between two scans. Finally, the evaluation of the correspondences and the reconstruction of the map to resemble the real environment are included in this thesis

Human-in-the-Loop Cyber-Physical-Systems based on Smartphones

Tese de doutoramento em Ciências e Tecnologias da Informação, apresentada ao Departamento de Engenharia Informática da Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia da Universidade de CoimbraTechnological devices increasingly become smaller, more mobile, powerful and efficient. However, each time we have to hurdle through unintuitive menus, errors and incompatibilities we become stressed by our technology. As first put forward by the renowned computer scientist Mark Weiser, the ultimate form of computers may be an extension of our subconscious. The ideal computer would be capable of truly understanding people's unconscious actions and desires. Instead of humans adapting to technology and learning how to use it, it would be technology that would adapt to the disposition and uniqueness of each human being. This thesis focuses on the realm of Human-in-the-loop Cyber-Physical Systems (HiTLCPSs). HiTLCPSs infer the users’ intents, psychological states, emotions and actions, using this information to determine the system's behavior. This involves using a large variety of sensors and mobile devices to monitor and evaluate human nature. Therefore, this technology has strong ties with wireless sensor networks, robotics, machine-learning and the Internet of Things. In particular, our work focuses on the usage of smartphones within these systems. It begins by describing a framework to understand the principles and theory of HiTLCPSs. It provides some insights into current research being done on this topic, its challenges, and requirements. Another of the thesis' objectives is to present our innovative taxonomy of human roles, where we attempt to understand how a human may interact with HiTLCPSs and how to best explore this resource. This thesis also describes concrete examples of the practical usage of HiTL paradigms. As such, we included a comprehensive description of our research work and associated prototypes, where the major theoretical concepts behind HiTLCPS were applied and evaluated to specific scenarios. Finally, we discuss our personal view on the future and evolution of these systems.A tecnologia tem vindo a tornar-se cada vez mais pequena, móvel, poderosa e eficiente. No entanto, lidar com menus pouco intuitivos, erros, e incompatibilidades, causa frustração aos seus utilizadores. Segundo o reconhecido cientista Mark Weiser, os computadores do futuro poderão vir a existir como se fossem uma extensão do nosso subconsciente. O computador ideal seria capaz de entender, em toda a sua plenitude, as ações e os desejos inconscientes dos seres humanos. Em vez de serem os humanos a adaptarem-se à tecnologia e a aprender a usá-la, seria a tecnologia a aprender a adaptar-se à disposição e individualidade de cada ser humano. Esta tese foca-se na área dos Human-in-the-loop Cyber-Physical Systems (HiTLCPSs). Os HiTLCPSs inferem as intenções, estados psicológicos, emoções e ações dos seus utilizadores, usando esta informação para determinar o comportamento do sistema ciber-físico. Isto envolve a utilização de uma grande variedade de sensores e dispositivos móveis que monitorizam e avaliam a natureza humana. Assim sendo, esta tecnologia tem fortes ligações com redes de sensores sem fios, robótica, algoritmos de aprendizagem de máquina e a Internet das Coisas. Em particular, o nosso trabalho focou-se na utilização de smartphones dentro destes sistemas. Começamos por descrever uma estrutura para compreender os princípios e teoria associados aos HiTLCPSs. Esta análise permitiu-nos adquirir alguma clareza sobre a investigação a ser feita sobre este tópico, e sobre os seus desafios e requisitos. Outro dos objetivos desta tese é o de apresentar a nossa inovadora taxonomia sobre os papeis do ser humano nos HiTLCPSs, onde tentamos perceber as possíveis interações do ser humano com estes sistemas e as melhores formas de explorar este recurso. Esta tese também descreve exemplos concretos da utilização prática dos paradigmas HiTL. Desta forma, incluímos uma descrição do nosso trabalho experimental e dos protótipos que lhe estão associados, onde os conceitos teóricos dos HiTLCPSs foram aplicados e avaliados em diversos casos de estudo. Por fim, apresentamos a nossa perspetiva pessoal sobre o futuro e evolução destes sistemas.Fundação Luso-Americana para o DesenvolvimentoFP7-ICT-2007-2 GINSENG projectiCIS project (CENTRO-07-ST24-FEDER-002003)SOCIALITE project (PTDC/EEI-SCR/2072/2014