Project Designation: PRR – Investment RE-C05-i02: Interface Mission – CoLAB

Main Goal: OT8 – Promote the sustainability and quality of employment and support labor mobility

Entity: ASSOCIAÇÃO LABORATÓRIO COLABORATIVO EM TRANSFORMAÇÃO DIGITAL – DTX

Start date: 01/01/2022

End date: 31/03/2026

Funding (PRR): 5.000.000,00 euros

Main goals: The DTx developed a long-term R&I agenda on the Digital Transformation of the Industry and Society. This agenda resulted from the consortium long term vision (reflected in prospective projects) and is further sustained and coupled with short-term goals (translated in specific projects), with more direct and localized impact, namely on the industrial partners expectations. DTx current strategy consists of developing R&I on five scientific domains, namely: Software and Information Systems; Hardware and Sensors; Intelligent Manufacturing; Advanced Materials; and Human Factors & Social and Legal Issues, where the priority research areas are integrated and developed. To each technical area are allocated critical resources that allow implementing this R&I agenda. Both the long-term strategy and the short-term objectives will be associated to policies to attract and sustain adequate human resources. Furthermore, the structure of the envisaged R&I was established to foster, in the long term, a business development strategy that allows a smooth and sustainable functioning of DTx. This project is being supported by the Portugal’s Recovery and Resilience Plan: www.recuperarportugal.gov.pt

Name of the Agenda: Aero.Next Portugal
Leader of the Consortium: EEA – EMPRESA DE ENGENHARIA AERONÁUTICA E AUTOMÓVEL, S.A.
Start Date: 01-10-2021
End Date: 31-12-2025
Investment: 123.281.163,18€
Beneficiary Entity: Associação Laboratório Colaborativo em Transformação Digital – DTx
Investment (of the beneficiary): 2 225 381,59€

Goals, activities and expected/ achieved results: The Aero.Next Portugal Agenda aims to strengthen Portugal’s position in the aeronautical value chain and consolidate the cluster associated with it through complete, complex and high added value products. To this end, it will ensure the dominance of Portugal throughout the design, development, industrialization and marketing phases, making the country a relevant decision center in aeronautics, reducing its dependence on the outside world and triggering strong drag effects on the national economy. To this end, it brings together a wide range of entities with strong and complementary skills for the development of the aeronautical ecosystem, with a view to promoting innovation, knowledge of the market and the paradigms of Digital Transition and Climate Transition. Maximizes existing assets in the country and promotes investment in more than one NUTS2, highlighting the case of Alentejo, with positive impacts on territorial cohesion.

Project sheet

Project name: Be.Neutral – Zero carbon mobility cyber-physical products for cities around the world
Total investment for the agenda: 221.376.867,92€
DTx Investment: 4 490 790,73€
Package: Green Agendas for Business Innovation Beneficiary
Entity: Digital Transformation CoLab – DTX
Start date: October 1st 2021
End date: December 31st 2025
Total financial support for the agenda: 128.191.402,26€
Financial support for DTx: 4 490 790,73€

Objectives and expected results: Be.Neutral aims to position Portugal as an exporter of cyber-physical carbon-neutral mobility products for cities worldwide. It was conceived based on the opportunity to develop, industrialize, and operate new mobility products and services (physical devices, connectivity, and data science platforms) with real-time emissions avoidance quantification capabilities to accelerate carbon neutrality by 2023.
The participation of the Digital Transformation CoLab – DTX aims at the development of PPS8 “Connectivity Infrastructure and Management Platforms” and PPS9 “New Generation of Connectivity Devices” related to WP2 “Infrastructure and Connectivity Devices Management.” Additionally, it includes PPS14 “Light Vehicle BEN” related to WP6 “Light Vehicle BEN.”

Project sheet

Acronym and Project title: INOV.AM – Innovation in Additive Manufacturing
Consortium leader: EROFIO – ENGENHARIA E FABRICAÇÃO DE MOLDES S.A.
Description: INOV.AM arises from the emerging need to stimulate and innovate the Portuguese industry, in order to revolutionize and enhance Portugal’s potential and competitiveness in the international market, within the scope of additive manufacturing. It aims to develop new materials, advanced manufacturing processes, post-production, advanced automation, control software, new products, and training and skills development of the human resources.

Start date: 01/07/2022
End date: 31/12/2025
Investment: EUR 76 952 903, 21
Incentive: EUR 53 267 360,63
Beneficiary Entity: Associação Laboratório Colaborativo em Transformação Digital – DTX
Beneficiary’s investment: EUR 417 756,81
Beneficiary’s incentive: EUR 417 756,81

Project sheet

Acronym and Project Title: NGS – New Generation Storage
Lead Entity: DST SOLAR, S.A
Description: The New Generation Storage (NGS) Innovation Pact is completely aligned with the European Union’s energy transition strategy until 2040, along with the challenge for the complete electrification of mobility by 2035. Based on a model structured in 8 Work Packages that cover the entire value chain of component production, battery packs and recycling, NGS proposes to add value to each stage of the process, culminating in a common goal: the creation of a new technological ecosystem in the area of batteries that will make the national industry stand out in the global market. Through the cooperation of 49 entities (25 companies and 24 Non-Business Entities of the R&I System), the aim is to structurally transform the national productive fabric, creating the necessary conditions – at the technological level and human resources – for an industrial ecosystem capable of mass production of innovative technologies, and a complete value chain that allows the management of end-of-life of world reference.

Start date: 01-01-2022
End date: 31-12-2025
Investment: 194 801 930,98€

Goals, Activities and Expected Results:
NGS is composed of complementary technological Work Packages (WP), with the capacity to autonomously generate Products, Processes or Services (PPS) for the international market, incorporating innovative technologies that can increase the value over the life of the project. Individually, each WP can operate independently in a specific area of the value chain. However, together they interconnect and build a meaningful circular chain.
The WP1 “Advanced Refining and Valorization” aims to install a large refinery and actions related to sustainable refining and valorization processes, aiming to implement an innovative and improved industrial line for lithium processing, through sustainable technology based on membrane electrolysis.
The WP2 “Cells, Modules and Components” aims at the installation and operation of cell/module manufacturing lines and the development of new and safer and more sustainable electrodes, ligands, electrolytes and separators, in close connection with the WP1 and the WP5.
The WP3 “Battery Assembly” foresees the installation of three productive assembly lines for stationary battery modules for the automotive industry; It also provides for the integration of cabling, connectors and casings, as well as energy management systems and control electronics, modeling and development of the proposed product.
The WP4 “Integration and Application” includes five pilot lines related to: the connection of batteries to the grid for power grid management; the use of batteries for different purposes – residential, commercial and industrial; battery integration into fast charging stations; battery
integration in vehicles. These pilot lines will allow the definition of technology and knowledge that will be applied to the use of batteries in a wide range of situations.
The WP5 “Recycling and Second Life” includes lines of action related to the recycling of battery materials and components, battery disassembly and second life batteries. Furthermore, recycling the battery elements will enable the WP1 to be powered, creating a fully closed circular design.
The WP6 “Advanced Training and Courses” is transversal to the entire NGS Innovation Pact and aims to train human resources in companies involved in the NGS, as well as provide highly specialized training for future master’s and doctoral students, promoting technical and university qualifications in companies.
The WP7 “Technological Platform and Entrepreneurship” is also transversal to the entire Innovation Pact and includes lines of action with the objective of developing and implementing a Technological Platform, which will support the national industry to position itself as an important international actor in the sector of batteries. The main objective of this Platform is to support market innovation (from laboratory to factory) for the full development and market adoption of technological solutions, supporting them in all necessary stages of development along the value chain.
The WP8 “Dissemination and Management” is structural for the entire project and aims to communicate and disseminate the global objectives and results of the NGS, intending to widely promote this Pact among sector stakeholders (scientific community and market). It also includes the technical management of the NGS Pact.

The NGS pact will deliver 14 PPS, namely:
• PPS1 – Sustainable Technology for Lithium Refinement
• PPS2 – Predictive Machine Learning based Platform
• PPS3 – New recovery process to value HCl (by-product) for LiCl production
• PPS4 – New processes for pilot-production of novel-types of batteries namely, flexible battery cells, thin-film-based solid-state batteries, and structural batteries
• PPS5 – New service for research testing and validation of the novel cathode solution developed
• PPS6 – New cylindrical and prismatic cell battery modules
• PPS7 – New processes for battery testing and certification
• PPS8 – New fast charging battery pack technology
• PPS9 – Modular Energy Management System
• PPS10 – New sustainable processes for recycling of Li-ion batteries
• PPS11 – New industrial processes and services for 2nd life applications
• PPS12 – New training modules for the battery sector
• PPS13 – NGS Platform and Network
• PPS14 – Digital energy management systems

Project sheet

Acronym and Project Title: R2UTechnologies | modular system
Lead Entity: DOMINGOS DA SILVA TEIXEIRA S.A.
Description: The Innovation Pact “R2UTechnologies | modular system” consists of the development and industrialization of a new disruptive concept of modular construction. This concept will be developed in order to be able to respond to the growing needs of the market and the new challenges of the sector, particularly in terms of sustainability and environmental protection. As a result, the Pact will empower the business sector, the academic sector and HR themselves with the means, knowledge and key skills to create, on national soil, a cluster for the global supply of the modular construction sector, thus envisaging the launch of 18 PPS with a tradable and internationalize profile at the end of the project.

Start date: 01.01.2022
End date: 31.12.2025
Investment: 177 414 466,61€

Goals, Activities and Expected Results:
The R2U Technologies is structured into 7 Work Packages, each focused on a different segment of the construction sector’s value chain, from the design phase to the operation and maintenance of the building throughout its life cycle. The WPs aim to respond to the current and future needs of the sector, with the purpose of creating a synergistic network between partners and relevant players, minimizing dependence on external markets.
The WP1 “Principles of Modular Construction” aims to explore different technical engineering and design concepts associated with modular construction for the development of sustainable, efficient, intelligent, and high-performance modular construction systems, based on a customizable and scalable matrix, in accordance with the requirements and challenges of different functional programs. The knowledge generated in this WP will be crucial to guide the designs and developments to be carried out in the remaining WPs and to validate the respective results.
The WP2 “Materials” aims to promote in-depth and multidisciplinary research for the development of new materials for modular construction, enabling the creation of high-performance solutions that respect the constraints and demands of this industry. Based on these results, which are expected to be innovative and have a high degree of technological maturity, the respective industrialization processes will be carried out for its manufacturing and internationalization processes to promote its introduction into the world market.
The WP3 “Products” focuses on the exploration and development of finished products relating to different components or specialized areas of the construction process, namely framing systems, variable geometry panels, modular facade systems, sanitary solutions, air conditioning systems, walls, and ceilings, prefabricated concrete structures and energy production systems. Based on these results, their respective industrialization processes will be carried out for their
manufacturing and internationalization processes to promote their introduction into the world market.
The WP4 “Industrial Equipment” aims to operationalize the manufacturing and assembly process of final modular construction solutions, through the creation of new specialized and integrated industrial units, equipped with advanced technology and autonomous systems, in line with the paradigm of Industry 4.0.
The WP5 “Digital, Collaborative Services and IoT Systems” aims to create a digital collaborative work environment, capable of gathering and sharing critical information between different actors and between different stages of the production process, facilitating the existence of greater vertical alignment in the supply chain. value and the development of construction solutions that are better suited to market needs. An additional goal is to create and verticalize IoT systems and respective digital services to create modular buildings with customizable intelligent monitoring and control capabilities.
The WP6 “Training” comprises a diverse set of actions that aim to promote the training and training of human resources involved in disciplinary themes involving modular construction, aimed at the entire national construction industry, creating conditions for a change in the specialization profile of the industry. Additionally, the aim is to develop a multidisciplinary curricular plan for different qualification levels. It is also intended to promote the creation of a new Skills Center, dedicated to advanced training of new skills in critical areas.
The WP7 “Coordination and Dissemination” aims to ensure the communication, promotion, dissemination and demonstration of results of the R2U Technologies project. It also aims at global technical, administrative, and financial management.

The R2U Technologies Pact will deliver 18 PPS technologically innovative with high added value, with a strong commercialization and internationalization profile, namely:
• PPS1 – High performance bathroom solutions for modular construction
• PPS2 – Innovative wall coverings for modular construction application
• PPS3 – High performance prefabricated structural systems for modular construction
• PPS4 – High performance ecological concretes and cements
• PPS5 – High performance glass surfaces
• PPS6 – Modular Facade Systems
• PPS7 – Minimal Window Frames
• PPS8 – Variable Geometry Panels
• PPS9 – Facades with laser welding
• PPS10 – Wall and Ceiling Solutions
• PPS11 – High performance AVAC unit for modular construction
• PPS12 – Flexible BIPV modules for modular construction application
• PPS13 – Customizable technologically advanced modular building units
• PPS14 – Digital energy management systems
• PPS15 – 2D Hybrid modular elements
• PPS16 – Innovative digital services, applications, and systems for all phases of modular construction
• PPS17 – Digital Twin
• PPS18 – Multidisciplinary curriculum plan for specialization in Modular Construction and related fields

Project sheet

Name of the Project: AzDIH – Azores Digital Innovation Hub | Polo n.º 862
Programme Investment Line: TD-C16-I03 – Catalisação da transição digital das empresas, “Digital Innovation Hubs”
Measure: TD. Transição Digital
Consortium Leader: Associação NONAGON – Parque de Ciência e Tecnologia de S. Miguel
Start date: 02/01/2023
End date: 30/09/2025
Total Investment: 3.253.742,42€
Website: www.azoresdih.pt

Objetives and expected goals: The AzoresDIH (AzDIH) is a partnership of 13 organizations specialized in business digitalisation, providing infrastructure, resources, and knowledge for the digital transformation of companies and public institutions. The AzoresDIH is aligned with its regional RIS3 but seeks and prioritises collaboration with entities in other European countries. AzDIH was oficially recognized as part of the Portuguese network of Digital Innovation Hubs (DIH) under the strategy Digital Portugal, and obtained the Seal of Excellence, being an EDIH, member of the European network under the Digital Europe strategy.
With a special focus on tourism and sustainability, green economy, and manufacturing sectors, the AzDIH will deliver a number of digitalisation-oriented services, as well as monitor the impact on the target groups, categorized in the domains of test before investing, support to find investments, training and digital skills, innovation ecosystem, and networking. It has set the following objectives:
• Act as a one-stop-shop and cornerstone mechanism for coordination of digitalisation and digital transformation in the regional industry (with particular attention to SMEs) and public institutions;
• Continuously update and build capacities on the necessary infrastructure, expertise, and resources to provide a complete set of services aligned with the digital needs;
• Engage with the Network of European Digital Innovation Hubs to deliver and receive improved capabilities in HPC, Artificial Intelligence, Cybersecurity, Advanced Digital Skills and to speed up the best use of digital technologies.

Current status: Ongoing (October 2023)
Beneficiary Entity: DTx – Associação Laboratório Colaborativo em Transformação Digital
Investment (beneficiary): 218 815,00 €

Project sheet

Name of the Project: ATTRACT DIH | Polo n.º 774

Program Investment Line: TD-C16-I03 – Catalisação da transição digital das empresas, “Digital Innovation Hubs”

Measure: TD. Transição Digital

Consortium Leader: INESC TEC – INSTITUTO DE ENGENHARIA DE SISTEMAS E COMPUTADORES, TECNOLOGIA E CIÊNCIA

Start date: 01/10/2022

End date: 31/12/2025

Total Investment: 5.993.413,04€

Website: https://attract.inesctec.pt/

 

Objectives and expected goals: ATTRACT DIH aims to support the digital transition underway in Portugal, with special emphasis on AI and HPC. To this end, it will act as a fully qualified access point (one-stop-shop) to support companies, especially SMEs, and Public Administration (PA), in the design, development and adoption of methodologies and solutions exploring the potential of AI and HPC, making available the main Portuguese competence centres in these fields.ATTRACT DIH aims to work on both the supply and demand sides, in order to accelerate and increase the impact of these technologies, by supporting the development of new technologies and solutions that address the needs of SMEs and PA and, at the same time, to support the end users to adopt them.

Main specific objectives:

1. Support the design, development and validation of new products and services that benefit from AI or HPC;
2. Promote the dissemination and adoption of solutions based on AI or HPC, including the implementation of demonstrators of said technologies;
3. Support the establishment of new companies to develop or explore solutions based on AI or HPC;
4. Promote the capacity-building of human resources from companies, PA and R&D entities;
5. Promote and develop innovation ecosystems that include the areas of AI or HPC, while facilitating and promoting the access of companies and public entities to the European network of Digital Innovation Hubs, thus favouring the exchange of experiences and knowledge at European level, as well as the development of joint projects.

 

Current status: Ongoing (May 2024)

Beneficiary Entity: DTx – Associação Laboratório Colaborativo em Transformação Digital

Investment (beneficiary): 444 613,01€

Project sheet

Name of the Project: CONNECT5 | Polo n.º 766

Programme Investment Line: TD-C16-I03 – Catalisação da transição digital das empresas, “Digital Innovation Hubs”

Measure: TD. Transição Digital

Consortium Leader: ASSOCIAÇÃO PARA O PÓLO DAS TECNOLOGIAS DE INFORMAÇÃO, COMUNICAÇÃO E ELECTRÓNICA – TICE.PT

Start date: 01/10/2022

End date: 30/09/2025

Total Investment: 5.979.613,51€

Website: https://connect5.pt/

 

Objectives and expected goals: CONNECT5 – DIH for Connectivity, CPS, IoT, Cloud/Edge and Data Analytics aims to create and operate a national and European reference DIH supporting the digital and green transformation of SMEs and public organizations. CONNECT5 is a collaborative network, in the form of a Consortium of 12 entities (RTO, polytechnic institutes, universities), with high level of expertise in digital technologies, state-of-the-art infrastructures and a deep nation-wide network of contacts (companies, business associations, public entities, etc.) bringing together their complementary expertise and assets, to create a unique value platform. CONNECT5’s will leverage on its capabilities based on Cyber-Physical Systems (CPS), Internet of Things (IoT), Communications networks (5G and 6G), infrastructures (Cloud and Edge Computing), Big Data platforms and analytical data processing, supported by Artificial Intelligence (AI), Cybersecurity and High-performance computing (HPC) when required, enabling the target entities to evaluate its impacts and the feasibility to their business before further investing in it. The services provided by CONNECT5 will be based on the definition of a digital transformation strategy identified in close cooperation with the user materialized on a strategic road map validated through the 4 main domains: i. Test before invest; ii. Skills and training; iii. Support to find investment; iv. Innovation ecosystem and networking. Included in the action plan is also the Digital Maturity Assessment, transformation proposal and acceleration with the DTA. CONNECT5 will provide a wide range of services that will enable any beneficiary to access the latest knowledge, expertise and technology with a special focus on the connectivity dimension for testing and experimenting digital innovation relevant to their activity, matching their needs with digital solutions already available or in an advanced phase of deployment. CONNECT5 expertise is reinforced by national projects like 5GO (focused on communication technologies), AUGMANITY (focused on I4.0) and CITYCATALYST (Focused on smart cities) among other activities (OASC, Gaia-X).

 

Current status: Ongoing (May 2024)

Beneficiary Entity: DTx – Associação Laboratório Colaborativo em Transformação Digital

Investment (beneficiary): 475 448,99€

 

Project sheet

 

Project description

 

Project reference:

PTDC/EEI-ROB/3488/2021

Project’s Acronym:

I-CATER

Project title:

I-CATER – Intelligent robotic Coworker Assistant for industrial Tasks with an Ergonomics Rationale

Requested funding:

247.667,48€

Starting date:

16-01-2022

Duration:

36 meses

 

Institutions

 

Principal Contractor:

Universidade do Minho (UM)

– Principal Investigator: Full Professor Estela Bicho

– Co-Principal Investigator: Full Professor Pedro Arezes

Research Units:

Centro de Investigação ALGORITMI (Algoritmi/UM)

Centro de Matemática da Universidade do Minho (CMAT)

Participating Institution:

ASSOCIAÇÃO LABORATÓRIO COLABORATIVO EM TRANSFORMAÇÃO (DTx)

Technological Innovation & Transfer Groups:

Ergonomics and Engineering Psychology

Computer Graphics and Vision

 

 

Abstract

As industries push for continuous technological innovation to boost their competitiveness and future-proofness, balancing techno-economical goals with emerging societal needs is now more pressing than ever. Inspired by one of the three pillars of the latest EC policy designated as Industry 5.0, this project aims to place human needs and interests back at the center of the production process by introducing proactive and human-aware robots capable of true collaboration as co-workers. Although collaborative robots (cobots) have successfully permeated different industrial sectors, they still have a rather limited role as agents that share the human workspace mostly executing pre-programmed actions. In parallel, repetitive movements, awkward postures, and manual exertion are the key risk factors associated with Work-related Musculoskeletal Disorders (WMSD) in industrial manufacturing tasks with a high impact on occupational absenteeism and decreased productivity. Another well-known trend is the aging of the European population and the increase of the retirement age, which is multiplying the number of workstations with senior workers. Therefore, it is essential to create human-centered workstations that adapt to the workers’ characteristics and possible physical/cognitive limitations. Moreover, it is imperative to create tools to conduct timely ergonomics risk assessment and mitigation. It is the understanding of the project team, that it is only a matter of time before the first ergonomics-aware robot is deployed on a factory floor, and this project aims to pioneer this leap. The research question we aim to address in this project is: “How do we integrate a real-time ergonomics assessment tool into the backbone of a true collaborative robotics system?” In the industrial context, there is a gap between the engineering aspects of human-robot collaboration (HRC) and the Ergonomics & Human Factors (E&HF). The few collaborative robotics frameworks that consider occupational health aspects, tend to present benefits on the working conditions as outcomes, rather than ergonomic criteria as inputs. We will address this challenge by creating a robotic system that is cognizant of the workers’ efforts during the shared task and that is capable of proactively engaging in joint actions to minimize the risk of WMSD and cognitive overload. Ergonomic assessments are still a slow multi-step process, unfit for the flexible modus operandi of cobots. Thus, a real-time monitoring system to track the workers’ movements, to assess incorrect postures, and physical/cognitive exertion indicators will be developed. Models will be created to map the ergonomics evaluation into a list of corrective measures, and then to set adequate robot actions. Most industrial applications involve a clear separation between the worker and robot, with a carefully intertwined task plan. Building on our previous work, we propose to move one step ahead, exploring dynamic interactions and unstructured collaboration plans allowing for natural and efficient HRC on a true peer-to-peer level. The robotic system will integrate high-level cognitive capacities such as intention inference, action understanding, and complementary action selection. To build trust and facilitate task coordination, the robot will continuously communicate about its perception and reasoning. Special attention will be paid to guarantee that the robot’s complementary actions are translated into smooth, safe, and human-like movements.

This project gathers researchers from Robotics Engineering and E&HF, and the most relevant challenges/problems to address are:

– Non-adjustable conventional workstations to the workers and their physical limitations;

– Inexistence of non-intrusive and rigorous ergonomic tools to assess in real-time, workstations with collaborative robotics;

– Lack of scientific-technological knowledge to generate mappings between incorrect postures or behaviors to corrective measures in real-time;

– Inexistence of mechanisms to integrate ergonomics criteria as an input to the reasoning and planning of the robot controller.

The current project will have the support of important industrial collaborators:

– KUKA, a leading cobot manufacturer committed to assist us with the latest technology and support;

– IKEA Industry Portugal, a crucial industrial partner to inspire the definition of system use-cases and to voluntarily recruit workers to test and validate the developed solutions.

The expected outcomes are as follows:

– Real-time ergonomics assessment system to track and evaluate, postures as well as other physical indicators, and extrapolate corrective measures;

– Reinforcement learning system to map the corrective measures to robotic system inputs;

– A flexible integrated robotic system capable of executing a shared human-robot task plan and reason about the working conditions.

 

Outputs