Description

IK4-TEKNIKER is a private non-profit research organisation founded in 1981 with near two hundred and sixty researchers and a turnover over 20 M. Its mission is to help the industrial sector to increase its innovative capacity by means of generating and applying technology and knowledge in order to be more competitive. Automotive parts, machine tools, mechanical capital goods, aerospace, chemical & petroleum products and industrial and consumer electronics are the most relevant sectors served by Tekniker. IK4-TEKNIKER has different 16 different units, which work in different technology areas: Lubrication Management Automation and Control Innovation and Technology Management Diagnostic and Technological Solutions Design, Fabrication and Manufacturing Electronics and Communications Mechanical Engineering Metrology Micro y Nano Manufacturing Ultra Precision Processes Surface Chemistry Autonomous and Intelligent Systems Intelligent Information Systems Advanced Manufacturing Technologies Surface Technology and Physics Tribology In the last years, Electronics and Communications Unit has been specialized in Wireless Sensor Networks. Systems based on WSN technology are formed by autonomous, low cost, resource constrained and short range radio devices that work coordinately. Tekniker has been working in Medium Access Control protocols, routing algorithms, topology discovery and management, data aggregation for seven years now in WSN field. Additionally, it has extended this kind of networks to reach remote destination via GSM or Internet thanks to the design of some specific middleware. Due to the high complexity of this kind of systems, some nonintrusive monitoring, diagnosis and debugging methodology and tools have been developed in order to validate the whole network performance. As a result of the hard work, some high quality papers, a book contribution and a Doctoral Thesis have been achieved. The obtained solution offers an enhanced alternative to the current commercial solutions as 802.15.4 in energy efficiency and latency issues. This expertise is complemented with the experience in other specific communication platforms, such as an ultralow power consuming Datalogger , water supply monitoring and management platform, wirelessly controlled solar fields, buildings and infrastructure monitoring, and so on. Moreover, Tekniker has a large background in realtime embedded systems design and implementation, from microcontrollers to DSP+FPGA hybrid solutions. This group also works in the development of multiagent platforms and mobile agents applications. Intelligent Information Systems unit is a multidisciplinary team (physics, chemistry, informatics and engineering) of 20 people working in 3 key areas of research specialization (predictive analytics, mobility and semantics). Predictive analytics is focused on using hardware and software technologies for the modelling and automation of supervision and decision-support systems for process and asset

management. This involves the modelling of systems flowing physical characteristics, trends and condition parameters, data patterns and/or existing expertise. The main technologies we are developing are new sensor systems (for condition monitoring), artificial intelligence techniques for flexible modelling, automation of solutions, uncertainty handling, and self-learning abilities, as well as e-maintenance solutions and strategies. Mobility is focused in the provision of standard open architectures where main aims are interoperability between different platforms, scalability of solutions and the inclusion of smart mobile devices (i.e. Android, iOS). The area has already deployed several products and prototypes in sectors such as domotics or contents management. Semantics is focused on the inclusion and enrichment of smart content management repositories, and for knowledge representation and exploitation, such as semantic searches based on ontologies, robotics natural interaction and sentiment analysis applications combining both, semantic and natural language processing technologies.

Technology areas
The figure below represents the technology areas of expertise of IK4-Tekniker directly related to the IoT and Future internet services.

Intelligent systems and electronics

Development of devices for sense and transmission of data. Self configurable low-power wireless sensor networks.

Device development

Information acquisition

Sensors and devices integration. Signal gathering and processing of Data Fusion. Computer Vision.

Advanced information analysis

Data mining and Knowledge extraction from structured, semi-structured and unstructured information (text-mining). Ontologies and semantic tagging. Identification of behaviour patterns and trends. Prediction. Machine learning.

Presentation & interaction

Advanced interactive information visualization. Advanced interaction and control (voice, gestures, vision). Usability. User-Centred Design.

Software development
SOA. Interoperability BMP. Rules engines. Workflows. Mobile application

Mobile service robotics

Human robot interaction Autonomous navigation Manipulation

Main topics of interest Horizon 2020 2014-2015

Societal challenge: Health, demographic change and wellbeing

PHC-21-2015: Advancing active and healthy ageing with ICT: Early risk detection and intervention PHC-25-2015: Advanced ICT systems and services for integrated care PHC-27-2015: Self-management of health and disease and patient empowerment supported by ICT

Societal challenge: Secure, clean and efficient energy

LCE-03-2014: Demonstration of renewable electricity and heating/cooling technologies SCC-01-2015: Smart Cities and Communities solutions integrating energy, transport, ICT sectors through lighthouse (large scale demonstration - first of the kind) projects SCC-03-2015: Development of system standards for smart cities and communities solutions EE-06-2015: Demand response in blocks of buildings EE-11-2015: New ICT-based solutions for energy efficiency EE-13-2015: Technology for district heating and cooling

Societal challenge: Smart, green and integrated transport

MG-8.2b-2014: Next generation transport infrastructure: resource efficient, smarter and safer MG-3.5b-2014: Cooperative ITS for safe, congestion-free and sustainable mobility MG-3.6a-2015: Safe and connected automation in road transport MG-5.5a-2015: Demonstrating and testing innovative solutions for cleaner and better urban transport and mobility MG-3.6b-2015: Safe and connected automation in road transport MG-5.5b-2015: Demonstrating and testing innovative solutions for cleaner and better urban transport and mobility

Potential contribution
The potential contribution of the Electronics and Communication Unit to proposals is: Expertise in Wireless Sensor Networks o autonomous o low cost o resource constrained o short range radio devices that work co-ordinately Plug & play & forget + interoperability layer Remote destination via Telephony Technologies or Internet Realtime embedded systems design and implementation Development of multiagent platforms Mobile agents applications The potential contribution of the Intelligent Information Unit: Systems for diagnosis, prognosis and decision support: o Multisensor fusion o Pattern recognition o Uncertainty handling o Machine learning algorithms o Self-learning abilities Mobility and use of Service-oriented architecture (SOA) for interoperability Smart mobile solutions: Android & iOS Cyber Physical Systems Semantics for smart content management based of ontologies Besides, IK4-TEKNIKER has a high influence in the: Involvement of final users (municipalities, ESCOs, building owners, transport and sport infrastructure owners) for validation purposes. Involvement of SMEs and LEs.

Expertise
IK4 TEKNIKER participates and has participated in many co operation and collaboration projects at both international and national levels. Some of the main projects related to the interest topics are:

Energy
AMBASSADOR: Absolute management system at domestic and district level (FP7 IP) http://ambassador-fp7.eu/ TIBUCON: Towards integral Building Connectivity. (FP7 IP); http://www.tibucon.eu/ URBGRADE: Decision Support Tool for Retrofitting a District. (FP7 IP); http://urbgrade.eu/ EPIC-HUB: Energy Positive Neighbourhoods Infrastructure Middleware based on Energy-Hub Concept.(FP7 IP); http://www.epichub.eu/ Local4Global: Systems of systems that act locally for optimizing globally (FP7) http://local4global-fp7.eu/

Security

 eVACUATE: A holistic, scenario-independent, situation-awareness and guidance system for sustaining the Active Evacuation Route for large crowds (SEC2012.4.2-2); http://www.evacuate.eu INACHUS. Fast rescue of disaster surviving victims: Simulation of and situation awareness during structural collapses including detection of survivors and survival spaces (FP7-SEC-2013). ZONESEC: Towards a EU framework for the security of widezones (FP7-SEC2013).

Healthcare/Independent living and relevant technologies

FI STAR: PPP FI Phase 2 project Future Internet Social and Technological Alignment. TEKNIKER participates in platform developments and leads), along with OSAKIDETZA (public regional healthcare services provider, Implementation of the Basque Country Use case (Bipolar Disorders. (https://www.fistar.eu/home.html) KeepHealthKids: ICT based system adapted to the age and profile of the children and young people, to support them and their families in the prevention of obesity and the acquisition of healthy habits. KRONOS: New personalized, collaborative and Ubiquitous services for the prevention and (self) management of chronically diseases. ELDERBASK: Creating value for the development of industry and services that respond to the challenge of aging (http://www.elderbask.net/p/descripcion.html) Treatment 2.0: Generic middleware platform to manage treatments to reduce the degree of dependence of patients by favouring the application of treatments @home and on the move; OSI+: Devices, services and applications for the intelligent and extended hospital; INTEGRA 1: Demonstrator in a real environment of the potential of ICT for labour integration of people with intellectual disabilities. The objective was the usage of an AAL environment to support the performance of complex tasks. INTEGRA 2: Demonstrator in a real environment of the potential of ICT for labour integration of people with intellectual disabilities. The objective was to support disabled worker on performing quality and production control activities. GESMO: Real-time system, based on the identification of movement patterns by applying machine learning techniques, to support the postural correction by using wearable devices; CONTEXTO: Adaptation to the context for the creation of systems and services in an Ami environment using advanced machine learning techniques and usability and accessibility criteria.

Robotics

 KTBOT: Service robot interacting with people. Prototype in the EUREKA museum working as a guide. http://www.eurekamuseoa.es/en/museum-areas/2uncategorised/528-ktbot RoboFoot, Smart robots for high added value footwear industry (FP7) http://www.robofoot.eu/ CustomPacker, Highly customizable and flexible packaging station for mid-to upper sized Electronic Consumer Goods using industrial robots (FP7) http://www.custompacker.eu/ EasyPRO, Accurate Manual Guided Robot Programming, Experiment in ECHORD project (FP7) http://www.echord.info/wikis/website/easypro MAINBOT, Mobile robots for inspection and maintenance activities in extensive industrial plants (FP7). http://www.mainbot.eu/ MIROR, Miniaturised Robotic systems for holistic in-situ Repair and maintenance works in restrained and hazardous environments (FP7) http://www.miror.eu/ X-ACT, Expert cooperative robots for highly skilled operations for the factory of the future (FP7) http://www.xact-project.eu/ ROBOPARTNER. Seamless Human-Robot Cooperation for Intelligent, Flexible and Safe Operations in the Assembly Factories of the Future (FP7) http://www.robo-partner.eu/

Smart Cities
Arrow head: efficiency and flexibility at the global scale by means of collaborative automation for five application verticals. That means production (manufacturing, process, energy), smart buildings and infrastructures, electro-mobility and virtual market of energy. http://www.arrowhead.eu/