Young students learn science and technology made in INESC TEC
‘Engineering Week’ and ‘Science, Teaching and Innovation Fair’ bring thousands to the city of Porto
In March, INESC TEC took part in the Engineering Job Week (EJW) organised by the Faculty of Engineering of the University of Porto (between 12 and 14 March), and in the Science, Teaching and Innovation Fair of the University of Porto (which took place between 27 and 30 March). These initiatives are organised annually in order to attract students and show them the best science and technology developed in the north of Portugal. Within the EJW, more than 1,500 high school students and teachers had the opportunity to participate in over 60 activities provided by the Faculty of Engineering. The Science, Teaching and Innovation Fair aimed at surpassing the number of 15 thousand visitors achieved last year by providing a direct contact with the various faculties and R&D institutes associated with the largest university in the country.
Learning what it means to be “an engineer”
More than 1500 students had the opportunity to learn what it means to be an engineer during the Engineering Week, an initiative organised by FEUP that offered more than 60 activities to high school students and teachers nationwide interested in becoming familiarised with the activities and projects in this area. As in previous years, the organisers sought to demonstrate the multidisciplinary features of engineering, and for that reason all activities were organised around five themes: “Saving the Planet,” “Creating a new Man,” “Creating the Society of the Future,” “Making companies more competitive” and “Building a New World.”
Getting to know the engineering profession and understanding the role of these professionals in protecting the planet, in making Mankind better, in creating the society of the future, in making companies more competitive and in building a better world – this was the message that this initiative tried to pass on to the young students. Also with this goal, once again INESC TEC joined the initiative, where approximately 60 schools were represented.
In their visit to INESC TEC, the participants had the opportunity to get to know first-hand some of the research areas INESC TEC invests in, more specifically computer vision, electric vehicles and smart meters and automation in industry, all inserted in the theme “Creating the Society of the Future.”
What do pattern recognition, electric vehicles and automation have in common?
The presentations on the computer vision component were led by Ana Sequeira and Eduardo Marques, researchers at INESC TEC’s Telecommunications and Multimedia Unit (UTM). Their presentation showed that more than a password, a PIN code, or a magnetic card, the image of the iris can be the key to ensuring the security we need, especially in an increasingly global world where controlling access is key. Addressing the versatility of pattern recognition systems, the researchers have shown students how these systems can be used to extract useful information from videos, and iris recognition is just one of many possibilities.
The session on electric vehicles and smart meters was led by Luís Seca, a researcher at INESC TEC’s Power Systems Unit (USE). In a visit to INESC TEC’s Laboratory of Smart Grids and Electric Vehicles, students learned how energy consumers can simultaneously produce and supply electricity to the grid from their houses, the importance of electric vehicles and how they soon will be part of our lives, as we will be able to charge them in our own homes, offices or in shopping centres. However, for these systems to work properly it is necessary to revolutionise energy metering systems, replacing the classic meters with smart devices that will allow us to manage this new paradigm. In the Laboratory, which replicates a low-voltage grid with distributed resources from renewable sources installed, the visitors also had the opportunity to see the electric vehicles that INESC TEC has available for testing.
Finally, the automation in industries component was addressed by Rui Diogo and César Toscano, both researchers at INESC TEC’s Manufacturing Systems Engineering Unit (UESP). How important are Industrial Automation and Internal Logistics Management for industrial companies? It was this question that the INESC TEC researchers tried to provide an answer to. For that, the researchers presented projects developed by the Unit that led to significant productivity gains in many industrial sectors, including by automating the handling and temporary storage of products in manufacturing.
Science, Teaching and Innovation Fair brings thousands to the city of Porto
Another communication science initiative in which INESC TEC participates every year is the Science, Teaching and Innovation Fair of the University of Porto. This was the 12th edition and once again it took place at the Pavilhão Rosa Mota (Rosa Mota Pavilion), in Porto. Organised by the University of Porto, the Fair is an annual exhibition of the training options provided by that which is the largest university in the country. The fair is also an open forum for high school students to communicate with higher education students, and to learn with lecturers and researchers of the University of Porto about their different scientific activities, projects and the impact of their work.
INESC TEC, which has the University of Porto as its larger associate, has been participating in this event since its first edition, and once again the institution has tried to show that the science and technology made in INESC TEC are relevant to the younger generations, even though high school students are not the target audience of the INESC TEC activity.
At the fair there was also time for a “treasure hunt” promoted by the “Ciência 2.0” initiative, of which INESC TEC is an institutional partner. The objective of this game is to allow visitors to interact with the spaces. In order to find the “treasure,” participants had to find the clues in various stands.
Explaining the change in the electric paradigm and promoting exercise
After the 2013 edition where INESC TEC presented robotic technology, this year the focus was on two projects in the fields of power grids and information systems and computer graphics. Both areas were presented by dozens of researchers representing all units of the INESC TEC Associate Laboratory.
Both younger and older visitors had the opportunity to drive the electric vehicle Renault Twizy. By using this vehicle, INESC TEC wanted to show students the importance and impact that electric vehicles will have on the power grids of the future, explaining how the electric power system has evolved taking into account the integration of renewable and distributed sources of energy and electric mobility.
The second project presented by INESC TEC was an innovative online 3D platform, the “Online Gym,” whose goal is to encourage physical activity in groups over the Internet. The platform was specifically designed for isolated users, which are wither geographically dispersed or have reduced mobility, such as elderly citizens. Using motion capture technology, the system allows users to work out or do physical therapy in groups remotely. The biggest innovation has to do with the fact that users can be supported remotely on their sporting activity by a trainer or therapist, thus avoiding travel problems and associated costs. In presenting this project, INESC TEC aimed at showing visitors how they can lead healthier lives with the motivation of a group. The project was developed in collaboration with Portugal Telecom Inovação (which also funded the project), and with researchers from the Open University and the University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro.
The INESC TEC researchers mentioned in this article are associated with the following partner institutions: INESC Porto.
