Projects

• Driver-In-the-Loop SIMulation for safety-critical testing scenarios of Electric Vehicles

Project number PN-III-P2-2.1-PED-2019-4366, ID: PED 431

Proiecte

Scope. The ambition of the project is to introduce the driver’s actions into the decision-making process of semi or fully automated driving, thereby enabling:
a) optimal level of intervention in critical conditions (avoiding accidents and increasing safety in various conditions) and
b) preparing the fully automated driving taking into account personalized needs.

The proposed method will facilitate the transitions of control between drivers and (semi)automated vehicles while introducing the acquired and automated competencies of the driver into the learning process of the vehicles. The drivers are usually possessing useful cognitive abilities (processing the available information and making fast decisions), but have also physiological and cognitive limitations (limited visual field or disturbing elements, like phones). The actions of a semi(autonomous) car will always affect the surrounding car’s maneuvers in response, and based on their experience, the human driver can anticipate it.

Project partners:

Project team of Siemens Industry Software Brasov

    • Dr. Călin Husar
    • Dr. Alexandra Băicoianu
    • Ph.D. Std. Eng. Ionuț – Laurențiu Carabulea

 

• Multimodal interaction for space applications based on human biopotentials   Project code: ROSA-566/2016

Foto Proiect Interactiunea multimodală

 

 

The overall goal of the BRAINSPACE project is to develop new hybrid multimodal interfaces that use biopotential-based methods that allow astronauts to use additional communication channels while performing simple or complex robotic tasks during space missions. The project will be realized by the effective increase of the capacities and the practical addition of the "peripherals" to the user's body. By achieving the proposed goal, the hybrid interface will give ESA astronauts the opportunity to perform "hands-free" tasks, while ensuring a higher degree of safety and increased control performance.

This project aims to advance a solution focused on the concept of "tracking human thinking" in which the user's effort is minimized to control robotic systems in space missions. To develop such a solution, we will use the full range of relevant tracking modalities, such as electrooculography (EOG), brain computer interfaces (BCI), electromyography (EMG), and eye / gas tracking, innovating the interaction metaphors needed for pregnancy tasks. interplay. The user should be able to exploit the natural interactive potential of the interfaces on the one hand and, on the other hand, increase productivity in each case. The role of our approach is to define the right combination of appropriate modalities and proportions of use in multimodal hybrid interfaces, in order to minimize user effort, given that microgravity users perform all actions other than Earth users.

Project members:

        • Project Coordinator: Cristian-Cezar POSTELNICU
        • Hardware and Software responsible: Florin GÎRBACIA
        • Scientific responsible: Mihai DUGULEANĂ
        • Technical responsible: Gheorghe Leonte MOGAN
        • Financial responsible: Cornelia MĂNESCU
        • Member (development): Paul Nicolae BORZA
        • Member (development): Octavian MACHIDON
        • Member (development): Eugen BUTILĂ
        • Member (development): Razvan BOBOC
        • Member (development): Csaba ANTONYA
        • Member (development): Daniel VOINEA

 

• eHERITAGE - Expanding C & I capacity in the field of cultural heritage preservation applications by the help of virtual reality technologies

H2020-TWINN-2015/H2020-TWINN-2015

Time period: November 2015 - October 2018

The eHERITAGE project addresses the ‚’twinning’-type challenges described by the H2020-TWINN-2015 topic of Horizon 2020 workframe. eHERITAGE is financed by the Executive Agency for Research (REA), delegated by the European Commission under grant number 692103, as well as by UEFISCDI with a grant type PN-III-P3-3.6-H2020-2016, with the number 18/2016 of 01/08/2016.

The eHeritage project, which unfolded at Transilvania University of Braşov, is a research project aimed at the capitalization and promotion of cultural heritage, by the help of new technologies, where 15 researchers, doctoral students and teaching staff of the university reintroduced monuments and historic objectives in Braşov in the virtual space so that they can be visited and appreciated at their true value.

Thereby, the university's teams succeeded in capitalizing a vestige in the repository of the History Museum in Braşov. It is called Constitutio Criminalis Theresiana (also known as Nemesis Theresiana or only Theresiana), a criminal code drafted in Austria during the reign of Maria Theresa, Archduchess of Austria, Queen of Bohemia, Queen of Hungary. The book, dating back to 1768, is currently in the County History Museum's repository and it is not accessible to the public in physical form. But, in the eHeritage project, the university researchers have succeeded in reproducing it in a virtual form, so now, the over 200 years old Criminal Law can be browsed by any visitor of the Museum.

Additionally, this project involved taking tens of thousands of photos of the fortified churches in the county, which were then reproduced in 3D by the help of photogrammetry. All these holograms can now be used as tourist promotional material.

Another product developed in the eHeritage project is the haptic bow - a physically controlled arrow-throwing weapon, with the sensation being virtually transposed. By the help of the bow technology, of some virtual reality glasses and of the haptic devices that are able to recreate the sense of touch by applying forces, vibrations or movements, the users can practice their ability to shoot with the bow without the risk of a real weapon.

The infotainment system is another outcome of the project. To be more precise, the researchers have developed a gesture interaction system - a projection of an image that can be controlled by simply moving the hands without touching any control device. This system was installed at the History Museum in Braşov on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of Romania's joining World War I.

Project members:

        • Prof. Dr. Eng. Mogan Gheorghe
        • Prof. Dr. Eng. Antonya Csaba
        • Prof. Dr. Eng. Butnariu Silviu
        • Assoc. Prof. Eng. Girbacia Florin
        • Lecturer Dr. Eng. Duguleana Mihai
        • Lecturer Dr. Eng. Postelnicu Cristian
        • Researchers:
        • Eng. Beraru Andreea
        • Eng. Butila Eugen
        • Eng. Boboc Razvan
        • Voinea Daniel, PhD student

 

• NAVIEYES - Inteligent car navigation assistant for mobile devices based on eye gaze tracking and head pose

 PN-II-PT-PCCA-2013-4

The mobile devices industry has undergone a major boom in the past 3-4 years, the latest generations of smart phones being equipped with by far more performing sensors. More than 800,000 applications have already been developed for both Android and iOS platforms, and more than 70 billion have been downloaded so far by users around the world.

The two teams involved in this project use the latest advances in the domain of mobile devices to create an integrated application that will improve existing navigation systems with further features that will track the eyes and head of the driver, as well as of the traffic scene. Through intelligent decisions, it also provides a series of useful notices in order to prevent possible dangerous situations.

Thus, the app is intended to detect whether the driver is not attentive to roadblocks or to certain types of traffic signs. Additionally, the app can evaluate the level of drowsiness, and when it is high, it alerts the driver. The application core is based on image processing algorithms (color segmentation, AdaBoost, optical flow, SVM, CAMSHIFT, etc.) and it will include 3 main modules: an eye view and head orientation estimator, a road obstacle and traffic signs detector and an application programming interface, necessary to integrate these modules into a unitary navigation system. The resulting application will be tested on a modified vehicle where a pre-collision system will be installed.

The concept of the NAVIEYES project is based on the 2 cameras of a mobile device fitted by the help of a car kit that will act as ‚’eyes’: one will perceive the interior of the car and the other the outside traffic medium. The project is aimed at drivers who want improved driving assistance systems. One of the major advantages of the proposed approach is the low cost of the solution. No other company has succeeded in integrating the features described in this project in an independent solution, and no other piece of research, based on only 2 camera mobile devices, has been reported so far.

The consortium is made up of 2 partners that carry out complementary research activities to complete all the proposed objectives: the coordinator is Transilvania University of Braşov - an institution with tradition in research; the partner organization is represented by ROUTE 66, a company founded in 1992 that holds the leading position in the manufacture of navigation products.

Project members:

        • Gheorghe MOGAN
        • Doru TALABĂ
        • Csaba ANTONYA
        • Florin SANDU
        • Constantin DUGULEANĂ
        • Florin GÎRBACIA
        • Silviu BUTNARIU
        • Andreea Maria BERARU
        • Mihai DUGULEANĂ
        • Eugen BUTILĂ
        • Cristian POSTELNICU
        • Cosmin COSTACHE
        • Răzvan BOBOC
        • Adrian DUMITRU
        • Daniel VOINEA

 

• A system for the diagnosis and therapy of spinal disorders

 Project code: PN-II-PT-PCCA-2013-4-1596 - Contract number: 227/2014

The aim of the project is to develop and test an innovative system for the diagnosis and treatment of spine disorders. The product is based on an idea that will be patented by the project team and it consists of a mechatronic device capable to measure in real time the instantaneous position of the human spine, thus, facilitating a precise diagnosis, as well as a continuous monitoring in order to prevent and / or treat its affections.

Many of the spine affections are caused by inappropriate positions during daily activities. Once installed, medication is prescribed only for the purpose of pain relief for these diseases, while for healing the only remedies are based on the therapeutic correction of posture and education on its permanent control. Most prescribed therapies aim at correcting the position of the spine over long periods of time, months or even years. If during the period of hospitalization the patient is under medical supervision, during the much longer periods of ambulatory treatment, when the patients resume their professional activities, it has been noticed that there are great difficulties in the implementation of the therapy and in fact, in a few cases an improvement actually takes place and that is due almost exclusively to the non-observance of the therapeutic indications.

In order to improve this aspect, the project proposes the development of a clothing item (a vest) equipped with sensors, a controller and a portable calculation system capable of identifying in real time the geometric positions of the vertebrae, thus the deviation of the spine from the prescribed position and the real-time warning of the patient about it. The vest is equipped with position sensors, actuators, controller and a portable calculating system (smart phone, tablet) so that the geometric position of the spine can be permanently calculated. The information that is obtained is then processed by an application designed to have a dual utility.

Project members:

        • BUTNARIU Silviu-project manager
        • MOGAN Gheorghe Leonte-researcher, professor
        • ANTONYA Csaba-scientific coordinator
        • GIRBACIA Florin- researcher
        • BUTILĂ Eugen- researcher
        • DUGULEANĂ Mihai- researcher
        • BERARU Andreea Maria- researcher
        • BOBOC Răzvan- researcher
        • DUMITRU Adrian- researcher
        • GÎRBACIA Teodora- researcher

 

• ROBOCORE - Robotic assisted prostate biopsy, an innovative, high-precision method

 

Project code: PN-II-PT-PCCA-2013-4-0647, Contract number: 247/2014

Project duration: 2014-2016

The consortium proposes a minimally invasive, innovative approach to prostate biopsy, by providing viable, high-precision solutions for patient diagnosis.

The aim of the project is to develop a system that combines MRI ability to visualize tumor tissues and to precisely define the biopsy areas with the real-time functionality of the ultrasound. The virtual reality software identifies the coordinates of the biopsy areas and the robot performs the procedure with high precision.

Project members:

        • Girbacia Florin – project coordinator
        • Mogan Gheorghe – key member
        • Antonya Csaba - key member
        • Butnariu Silviu - key member
        • Butila Eugen
        • Duguleana Mihai
        • Beraru Andreea Maria
        • Boboc Razvan
        • Dumitru Adrian
        • Girbacia Teodora
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