Offside
Limelight

Nuno Cruz, Ricardo André and Luís Seca

Free Nonsense

"I know that INESC Porto offers great competencies and facilities in OFS; this means that we can develop the best sensor configurations and interrogation techniques for the sensing platforms...", Mohammad Zibaii

Have your say

"The relaxed atmosphere, spirit of mutual aid and the exchange of scientific knowledge between colleagues at INESC Porto are all positive factors for me, but it was the projects I have been involved in that have really contributed to my scientific development...", Lucian Ciobanu

Gallery of the Uncommon

Following the analysis of the aesthetics of breasts, the researchers at INESC Porto have turned their attention to the pelvic region. The project is called BioPelvic and consists of a vaginometer which is not to be confused with any other mileage meter. This is a phallic device with sensors and yes ladies, there is a wireless version.

Jobs 4 the Boys & Girls

In this section, the reader may find reference to public announcements made by INESC Porto offering grants, contracts and other opportunities of the same kind.

Biptoon

More scenes of how life goes merrily on...

 
 

INESC Porto Researchers Cross Borders

INESC Porto Researchers Cross Borders

Ricardo Sousa, Hélder Oliveira, researchers at INESC Porto's Telecommunications and Multimedia Unit (UTM) and Leonel Carvalho from the Power Systems Unit (USE), will be spending the next few months in Brazil and Italy. Hélder Oliveira will be hosted by the scientific technological university the Politecnico di Milano in Italy, Ricardo Sousa will be hosted by the Federal University of Ceará in Fortaleza, Brazil, and Leonel Carvalho will be hosted by the the Federal University of Itajubá in Minas Gerais, Brazil. 

Ricardo Sousa’s PhD dissertation will look at new paradigms in the area of machine learning to support medical diagnosis. The researcher explains that the first contact with the university came following a visit by Ajalmar Neto, a Professor at the Federal University of Ceará (UFC). Ajalmar Neto visited INESC Porto in relation to a project, involving Ricardo that is looking at advanced objective methods to evaluate the aesthetic results of breast surgery.

“Taking part in a placement in an institution as diverse as the UFC, with a team with experience in machine learning with various clinical applications, was an opportunity I could not miss”, he states. Ricardo also highlights that the placement presented him with the opportunity to work closely with a group of researchers looking at wireless communication, thus giving him the opportunity to make contacts not just in multimedia, but in telecommunications as well. 

Hélder Oliveira’s placement comes within the framework of his PhD dissertation that looks at the development of an algorithm for the objective evaluation of the results of Breast Cancer Conservation Treatment (BCCT) based on three dimensional information (Advanced 3D Computational Models for the Aesthetic Result Assessment on Breast Cancer Surgeries).

“The Breast Research Group at INESC Porto uses software (BCCT.core) to assess the aesthetic results of BCCT with front facing photos of the patient. However, this method means that there is a serious lack of breast volumetric data. The aim of my research is to fill this gap and introduce three dimensional data which is extracted from diverse views (photographs) of the patient”.     

According to Hélder Oliveira, he was attracted by the fact that the University has the technology necessary to develop his research. “A reference model, obtained using three dimensional data acquisition systems based on 3D scanners with Laser projection will be used to validate the methods. INESC Porto does not have this type of equipment which means it is difficult to validate the methods developed. The researchers at the Politecnico di Milano work with this type of technology, thus making my three-month placement there really worth while”, he confirms.

As part of his PhD, Leonel Carvalho, from the Power Systems Unit (USE), is also currently taking part in a placement in Brazil at the Federal University of Itajubá in Minas Gerais. Armando Martins Leite da Silva, an IEEE Fellow and specialist in composite reliability evaluation for large-scale power systems, is his supervisor. Leonel will therefore have the opportunity to develop his studies in the reliability of power systems and his research into new techniques for the use of simulation in large-scale systems.

The USE researcher was also encouraged by the opportunity to be able study applications that involve techniques such as Cross Entropy and the latest developments in this area. The placement, that will last six months, comes within the framework of the MIT Portugal (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) doctoral programme attended by Leonel Carvalho.