Laboratories

Robotics Arena

The Robotics Arena is a net protected infrastructure equipped with 12 high-resolution infrared cameras that emulate indoor GPS. With a 12x4x4 m3 working volume, it allows to safely validate and test aerial, terrestrial or manipulation robotics.

Identification and Control Lab

The Identification and Control Lab is equipped with control engineering equipment for educational and research purposes, namely:

Ball and beam apparatus
Ball and hoop apparatus
Thermal control process apparatus
Coupled tanks apparatus
Coupled drives apparatus
Inverted pendulum apparatus

Computer room

The “Computer room” is a space that contains several desktop-style computers with specialised software to be used by students, for instance an open student version of Matlab with respective toolboxes. This space is also appropriate for small group of students to work together on assigned projects.

Laboratory I4.0

This Laboratory has a broad and diverse set of equipment present in the latest applications using IoT concepts in which the system architecture examples follow the IIoT approach for the Industry 4.0. In this laboratory the research focusses mainly in Intelligent Automation, Soft Sensors, Industrial Internet of Things, Processes/Industry, and Predictive Maintenance.

In this lab we have state-of-the-art equipment: data servers; SCADA servers; S7-1500 PLCs and HMIs; 2 different industrial identification systems, one based on PC and another based on PLC technology, namely a barcode, RFID HF and RFID UHF; one automation module for dosing, which includes a robotic arm, an industrial precision scale, a capsule dispenser, an agitator, a bench with several dispensers and filling precision valves, one automatic label printer-applicator, between other electric and pneumatic equipment.

Industrial Automation Lab

The Industrial Automation Laboratory has equipment to test and validate automation strategies, using pneumatic, electrical, hydraulic and electropneumatic actuators, and a wide range of sensors. It also allows testing the automation strategies using a virtual environment, but real controllers implemented in hardware and interacting with the virtual reality that can be used from anywhere in the world.

Mechatronics Lab

This laboratory is used for the design process of engineering systems while providing a structure to illustrate a variety of design principles. It allows the students to understand the synergy between mechanical design, computer control and electronic components in arriving at a mechatronics system, integrating the knowledge acquired along the other courses of the degree.

Electrical Machines Laboratory

The Electrical Machines Laboratory (LME) specializes in the application of advanced materials in Mechatronic Systems, including Artificial muscles, Cobalt-Iron alloys, High-Temperature Superconducting Materials for electrical machines, fault-current limiters, Maglev vehicles, levitating systems, and hybrid/electric aircraft propulsion. The following main equipment is available at this laboratory: electrical machines, electric loads, milling machines, superconductors (YBCO and GdBCO), cryogenic systems, oscilloscopes, iron core materials, and other materials.

Robotics Lab

The Robotics Lab consists of an advanced infrastructure of robot manipulators supporting the research on robot control, image processing and human-robot interaction for industry 4.0. The Lab is equipped with industrial and collaborative robot manipulators and simulation software, as well as customized robotic manipulators developed in-house. The platform’s architectures are fully open and instrumented allowing research from the cyberphysical systems and shopfloor integrational high level, to sensitive interaction force control with the environment and the operator and vibration control at the robot joint level. The applications developed at the Lab range from human-robot collaborative assembly, to high-speed image guided pick and place for packaging, to accurate machining integrated with CAD/CAM software.

Vision Lab

The vision lab is committed with the support of vision applications and the use for artificial vision. It aims to understand spatial mechanisms of vision towards spatial visual reasoning through deep learning and perceptive approaches. Applications to, but not restricted t

Surgical Robotics Laboratory

The Surgical Robotics Lab focuses on the advancement of medical robotic technologies. From preoperative surgical planning to intraoperative navigation, the lab develops software and hardware tools for diverse medical fields such as orthopædics, urology and neurosurgery. The Lab infrastructure is equipped to process preoperative CT and MRI imaging, to register the surgical plan with intraoperative US scans, and to implement the surgical trajectories with accurate robotic arm though co-manipulation, tele-manipulation or autonomously.

Laboratory of Structures and Adaptive Composites

The LECA Lab focuses on the advancement of adaptive active structures and mechanisms, from compliant robotic arms and end-effectors to customized devices that physically interact with humans such as medical or surgical devices, exoskeletons, orthotics and prosthetics. The lab explores the capabilities of pneumatic soft robotics and piezoelectric materials embedded in multi degree-of-freedom mechanisms with control laws bioinspired from human performance, nuromechanics and biomechanics.