The monitoring of heritage objects is necessary due to their continuous deterioration over time. Therefore, the joint use of the most up-to-date inspection techniques with the most innovative data processing algorithms plays an important role to apply the required prevention and conservation tasks in each case study. InfraRed Thermography (IRT) is one of the most used Non-Destructive Testing (NDT) techniques in the cultural heritage field due to its advantages in the analysis of delicate objects (i.e., undisturbed, non-contact and fast inspection of large surfaces) and its continuous evolution in both the acquisition and the processing of the data acquired. Despite the good qualitative and quantitative results obtained so far, the lack of automation in the IRT data interpretation predominates, with few automatic analyses that are limited to specific conditions and the technology of the thermographic camera. Deep Learning (DL) is a data processor with a versatile solution for highly automated analysis. Then, this paper introduces the latest state-of-the-art DL model for instance segmentation, Mask Region-Convolution Neural Network (Mask R-CNN), for the automatic detection and segmentation of the position and area of different surface and subsurface defects, respectively, in two different artistic objects belonging to the same family: Marquetry. For that, active IRT experiments are applied to each marquetry. The thermal image sequences acquired are used as input dataset in the Mask R-CNN learning process. Previously, two automatic thermal image pre-processing algorithms based on thermal fundamentals are applied to the acquired data in order to improve the contrast between defective and sound areas. Good detection and segmentation results are obtained regarding state-of-the-art IRT data processing algorithms, which experience difficulty in identifying the deepest defects in the tests. In addition, the performance of the Mask R-CNN is improved by the prior application of the proposed pre-processing algorithms.

The article deals with the research of the supplementation of industrial robot effector trajectory’s control systems by an inertial navigation system. The method of reverse validation and location of an object in a navigated reference system does not require additional calibration. The goal of the research is to verify the assumption that it is possible to control and correct the programmed mobile robot trajectory by implementing an inertial navigation system even in a case when the inertial navigation system is used as the only trajectory control device. The data obtained are processed by the proposed and detailed application.

QR (quick response) Codes are one of the most popular types of two-dimensional (2D) matrix codes currently used in a wide variety of fields. Two-dimensional matrix codes, compared to 1D bar codes, can encode significantly more data in the same area. We have compared algorithms capable of localizing multiple QR Codes in an image using typical finder patterns, which are present in three corners of a QR Code. Finally, we present a novel approach to identify perspective distortion by analyzing the direction of horizontal and vertical edges and by maximizing the standard deviation of horizontal and vertical projections of these edges. This algorithm is computationally efficient, works well for low-resolution images, and is also suited to real-time processing.

The relationship between wood and its degree of humidity is one of the most important aspects of its use in construction and restoration. The wood presents a behavior similar to a sponge, therefore, moisture is related to its expansion and contraction. The nondestructive evaluation (NDE) of the amount of moisture in wood materials allows to define, e.g., the restoration procedures of buildings or artworks. In this work, an integrated study of two non-contact techniques is presented. Infrared thermography (IRT) was able to retrieve thermal parameters of the wood related to the amount of water added to the samples, while the interference pattern generated by speckles was used to quantify the expansion and contraction of wood that can be related to the amount of water. In twenty-seven wooded samples, a known quantity of water was added in a controlled manner. By applying advanced image processing to thermograms and specklegrams, it was possible to determine fundamental values controlling both the absorption of water and the main thermophysical parameters that link the samples. On the one hand, results here shown should be considered preliminary because the experimental values obtained by IRT need to be optimized for low water contents introduced into the samples. On the other hand, speckle interferometry by applying an innovative procedure provided robust results for both high and low water contents.

The paper deals with ionization impact on efficient cleaning of air in a measuring chamber which has been cleaned and closed against any outer impacts (e.g. impurities, dust from another room, human odours). Smoking has an impact on the number of positive and negative ions including the concentration of particulate matter PM10. We investigated the ion concentration according to the presence of cigarette smoke in the room and according to the change of lit cigarette distance from the supply of ionized air. Due to the experiment there was simulated smoking at the relative air humidity φ = 37 % and φ = 39 % and temperature of 20 °C in the room. Increased PM₁₀ concentrations were caused only by cigarette smoke pollution or more precisely by artificially created higher humidity in the measuring room excluding ambient environment impacts. The aim of the experiments was to prove influence of ionization on the elimination of cigarette smoke. The measurements showed that the highest efficiency of PM₁₀ particulate removal was achieved when the distance of smoking cigarettes from ionization source was 3 m and the air humidity was 39 %. The consequent increase of the distance of smoking cigarettes from the ionization source significantly decreased the efficiency of particle removal. The difference between ionized and natural air is minimal at the bigger distance.