Research Projects

XR4DRAMA

H2020-ICT-2018-20 / H2020-ICT-2019-3

November 2020 – November 2022

Project Web Page

Decision making is part of our daily life and in most cases, we do it in a matter of seconds. But the process becomes increasingly difficult, the more complex a situation is, for example, because we do not feel the immediate effects of our decisions. This can happen if we are not immediately attached (timewise or physically) to an event or a location – we are lacking a feeling of presence (as mentioned in the ICT-55- 2020 call text). This feeling, called situation awareness in cognitive research, however, is crucial for humans to best execute tasks or plan things. The underlying approach within xR4DRAMA is to create and enhance this situation awareness for those who are – remotely as well as directly – engaged in handling disasters, public events, man-made crises or the aftermaths thereof in remote locations. Those usually involved in such events range from first responders, local authorities and security forces, to media companies and event planners. They all need to dive into the given situation, either by planning or by executing a mission connected to the event at hand. In xR4DRAMA the proof of concept will focus on first responders and media companies before extending the use cases to other domains.
XR4DRAMA aims at enhancing situation awareness through, especially, XR technologies2 in order to:

• facilitate the sourcing of all relevant information needed to plan necessary actions;
• create an „as if on site“ experience of an environment (e.g. in VR) to anticipate the planned event or an incident as thoroughly as possible;create a joint understanding of an environment (a “distributed situation awareness”) to be shared
• by team members, allowing for smoother communication and consultation;
• provide the possibility to continuously update the representation of the location (e.g. in VR) during the evolving incident/event in order to understand and potentially re-assess consequences of specific decisions.

MindSpaces (Art-driven adaptive outdoors and indoors design)

H2020 – ICT – 2018 –2020, S+T+ARTS Lighthouse

January 2019 – December 2021

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MindSpaces aims to create a novel approach to urban and architectural design by generating 3D-VR immersive and emotion-adaptive ‘neuro-environments’ that will help in designing emotionally-relevant urban spaces. The emotional aspects of an environment will be captured through the use of mobile EEG (Elecroencephalography) headsets, wearable bracelets/watches, and other physiological sensors that will be embedded with a VR-headset, so as to allow capturing the neuro-feedback of a VR-experience. The neuro-feedback will allow the virtual space to be adapted accordingly, resulting in an emotion-adaptive space. The ‘neuro-environments’ will be used at two levels of granularity. At the first level, artists and creatives will experience the ‘neuro-environments’ with the intention to improve the emotional-relevance of the urban space through the neuro-feedback of individuals, that have very-well developed the perception of aesthetics in what refers to symmetry and harmony but also to unconventional thinking leading to unexpected solutions. At the second level, the ‘neuro- environments’ will be experienced by the potential occupants of the urban space, so as to improve the emotional-relevance of this space through the neuro-feedback of individuals that have developed through experience the perception of space usability, comfort and functionality. This will allow MindSpaces to combine the transversal competencies and unconventional thinking of Artists, with the empirical and pragmatic perception of actual occupants, so as to drive the development of unconventional and unexpected solutions in the design of urban spaces.

ALPIS (Advanced Learning and Perception for Infrastructure Security)

Stavros Niarchos Foundation Industrial Research Fellowship Program

September 2018 – December 2020

In colaboration with NCSR Demokritos Researcher Dr. Athanasios Sfetsos of Institute of Nuclear & Radiological Sciences & Technology, Energy & Safety.

The ALPIS project aims at developing novel methods in industrial-grade algorithms for efficiently fusing and analyzing multimodal visual data for monitoring critical infrastructures and for providing situation awareness in disaster management scenarios. On one hand, advancements of UAV/ ROV technology and optical sensors have increased their reliability and operativity for the acquisition of the data required for monitoring applications. On the other hand, the development of advanced embedded computing solutions allows the use of cutting-edge recognition and reconstruction algorithms. The visual data will be derived from RGB, multispectral, thermal and short-wave infrared cameras, which will be integrated on UAVs (fixed-wing, or drones), ground vehicles and ROVs for maritime installations. The main contributions of the proposed project are:
– the in-time acquisition of short-range data for monitoring infrastructure elements and for now-casting using unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs);
– the development of suitable algorithms for on-board processing for understanding and reacting in real-time to the environment using high-end embedded computing solutions;
– the introduction of novel approaches based on cutting-edge deep learning and 3D reconstruction techniques for off-line processing of the acquired data for now-casting and situation awareness regarding critical infrastructures.

PROTEAS

Research – Creation -Innovation PA (Partnership Agreement for the Development Framework) 2014-2020

July 2020 – July 2023

Project Web Page

The main objective of the project is the development of an Open-Access Workshop (OAW) within the premises of the National Gallery at Athens (NGA), where researchers from IESL-FORTH and INPP-NCSR Demokritos will install innovative analytical systems based on imaging and spectroscopic techniques which, via combined protocols for in-situ application, will integrate and upgrade the current documentation and conservation methodology used by NGA for the integrated study of paintings. The Institute of Computer Science (ICS) of FORTH will coordinate the project and, in collaboration with PRINTEC and Up2Metric, will develop the platform (mechanisms and integrated software) that will ensure a) a robust way to support safe and controlled positioning of the analytical devices at each point of the artwork ensuring reliable operation of the equipment and facilitating the presence of the operator/conservator and b) provide a user friendly acquisition, management and presentation of large amounts of information and data. The concept becomes particularly important in the case of very large paintings, which, to date, could not be studied with conventional protocols. It is actually the study and conservation of “March 3, 1814”, by C. Muller (4.45 × 8.45 sq. meters) an emblematic oil painting of the NGA collection that provides the inspiration and motivation for this research.

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CHROMATA

Research – Creation -Innovation PA (Partnership Agreement for the Development Framework) 2014-2020

July 2020 – July 2023

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The main purpose of the proposed project is to design and implement an interactive virtual reality platform that will gather elements of the intangible cultural heritage from available sources in areas of cultural interest and will constitute the starting point for the creation of indoor and outdoor environments of virtual and augmented reality that can:

1. revive and represent the elements (eg, traditional dances, stories, etc.) of the intangible heritage,
2. create new spatial and virtual transcripts, thus promoting new uses for it.

Forms of intangible cultural content will include capturing of cultural knowledge and expressions of human creativity that are verbally or non-verbally translated into a variety of forms (eg. traditional dances, stories and folk traditions, etc.).

SOUP (SOilless culture UPgrade)

Research – Creation -Innovation PA (Partnership Agreement for the Development Framework) 2014-2020

January 2018 – December 2020

Utilizing Robotic Systems and Computational Intelligence Technologies to Reduce Costs and Inputs in Hydroponic Cultures.

Project Web Page

Greenhouse cultivations represent one of the most significant production sectors of Greece, with an estimated annual turnover of 900m Euros. Despite their economic importance, greenhouse cultivations are still a labour-intensive activity, with workforce and pest-management expenses making up a large percentage of the production costs. Additional problems associated with greenhouse cultivations relate to personnel health and safety issues, as well as increased environmental footprint, both arising from the use of chemical pesticides and fertilizers, and the need for product quality assurance. In this context, project SOUP aims to modernize Greek greenhouse cultivations, by reducing their dependence on manual labour and agrochemicals, through the following technologies:

1. Automated monitoring systems that analyze the plants’ growth through the use of sensor networks, advanced image processing and state-of-the-art deep learning techniques.

2. Robotic mechanisms to automate labor-intensive tasks such as pest management and harvesting. The combined use of the above technologies can potentially allow the individualized management of the plants, as opposed to the current practice of indiscriminate plantation-wide interventions, which leads to resource wastage and often excessive use of agrochemicals. In addition, robotics can reduce the need for human presence and manual interventions, and allow for round-the-clock operation of the greenhouse. Hydroponic tomato production, representing one of the country’s main exported greenhouse products, has been selected as the pilot cultivation to develop these technologies within SOUP. Initially, a series of independent hydroponic chambers will be set up, containing tomato plants of different growth stages, and with the ability to inflict insect pest infestations. This facility will be the main testing ground in the development of a plant monitoring system, based on a sensor network and advanced algorithms employing neural networks and deep learning techniques, which will allow identification of pest inflictions and assessment of fruit ripeness. In parallel, a series of robotic mechanisms will be developed, which will be capable of carrying out tasks such as targeted pesticide application and automated harvesting of ripe fruits. These two core technologies will subsequently be combined with conventional automation systems, to form an innovative and eco-efficient greenhouse unit, operating under an intelligent management system. Data from this pilot unit, collected over a period of one year, will be analyzed to asses the economic and environmental impact of the proposed cultivation method, in comparison to the current paradigm, and to draw up a comprehensive results’ commercialization plan.

The SOUP consortium is formed by Glafcos Marine Ltd, a company with considerable experience in managing funded research projects, the Laboratory of Agricultural Production ,Florist Section, T.E.I. of Crete with extensive know-how regarding greenhouse and hydroponic cultivations, the Signal Processing & Communications Laboratory of the University of Patras with expertise in image processing and machine learning, the Control Systems & Robotics Laboratory of the T.E.I. of Crete with significant experience in developing robotic systems for primary agricultural production, and up2metric PC, a company specializing in applications of 3d imaging data acquisition and modelling. The combined expertise of the consortium, along with the blending of academic and commercial partners, are important elements for the success of the project.

VirtualDiver

Research – Creation -Innovation PA (Partnership Agreement for the Development Framework) 2014-2020

January 2018 – December 2020

Development of an integrated interactive platform providing virtual underwater experiences for the culture and tourism industries.

Project Web Page

Although, the underwater environment in Greece is of great scientific interest in all fields of marine research, it has not been exploited yet for cultural and tourism purposes. At the same time, technology in the fields of virtual and augmented reality has undergone considerable development by providing technical solutions for environments that their modelling has been problematic or non-operational for a variety of spatial scales. In this context, business and investment opportunities are currently being created which the VirtualDIVER research proposal strives to exploit. In particular, the goal in VirtualDIVER is to develop an integrated interactive platform for exploring natural (augmented reality) and virtual (virtual reality) environments in areas of touristic and environmental interest (eg unique geomorphological structures, shipwrecks, sunken harbors and parks, marine parks, NATURA areas, etc.) in order to enrich travel experience and promote specific and diverse forms of tourism. Significant, multi-temporal, validated knowledge, information and data from the university partners will guarantee a detailed, high-resolution mapping of the marine and terrestrial relief, which will be carried out with state-of-the-art technologies (swath mapping systems, underwater vehicles, unmanned aerial vehicles) to create a synthetic topographic relief basemap and to analyze all its particular geomorphological and ecological structures as well as anthropogenic interventions. Through a set of special designed tools for multimedia content management by the involved industrial partners, it will be possible to write narrative scenarios and produce interactive experiences in virtual reality. In this way, users will be able to assimilate to real (or even imaginary) environments through different media (e.g., tablets, virtual reality glasses, etc.).

VirtualDIVER is targeting to timely address this particular market and investment opportunity with regard to the relative current industrial competition in Greece and Europe and at the same time to invest in the development of new knowledge and skills. In particular, the integration of research knowledge into interactive narrative systems will lead to the development of innovative tourism products to promote the complex, challenging, magnificent underwater environment and to attract tourists of general or special interest. The platform will be piloted for the submarine area of the Santorini caldera but also for the Mediterranean underwater volcano, Kolumbo, and will enable users to navigate virtually in environments accessible only by underwater vehicles and in cost-intensive, research and scientific missions. We are strategically targeting Santorini as one of the most touristic destinations in the world, while the Minoan eruption, which has formed the current caldera 3600 years before, has been screened in international documentaries. The unique geomorphological scenery of the inner slopes of the caldera, which continues on the seabed, the particular settlement development as well as the geological history and evolution of the volcano will be the themes of the interactive narrative of the platform. Finally, the research results will be interpreted in a popular way through the developed platform while the systematic data collection methodology and the virtual representation will be scalable and applicable to any other coastal environment of touristic and/or cultural interest.

Travel Tycoon Greece

Research – Creation -Innovation PA (Partnership Agreement for the Development Framework) 2014-2020

January 2018 – December 2020

Build your own travel agency empire from the ground up. Become a tourism mastermind and provide your clients with the services they deserve. Your playground is Greece, one of the most beautiful places in the world where tourism booms. An opportunity in the market is waiting for you.

INCASS (Inspection Capabilities for Enhanced Ship Safety)

FP7-TRANSPORT

Generation of photorealistic 3D models of  high visual and geometric accuracy. Our Company has worked in WP2 and WP3 of the project as subcontractor of Glafcos-Marine Ship Inspection Company.

Publication
Project Website