Paulo Rodrigues

Mr. Paulo Rodrigues

orcid

Research Focus & Metrics

Academic Career Length

4Years (2023-Present)

(Calculated once Scilit publication data is synced: current year − year of first publication + 1)

Representative Publications

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28 October 2024 in Drones
Verified
Journal Article
Open access
PDF file
AOAlexandre Amaral Oliveira
Alexandre Amaral Oliveira
ADAndre Dias
Andre Dias
TSTiago Santos
Tiago Santos
PRPaulo Rodrigues
Paulo Rodrigues
AMAlfredo Martins
Alfredo Martins
JAJosé Almeida
José Almeida
The deployment of offshore wind turbines (WTs) has emerged as a pivotal strategy in the transition to renewable energy, offering significant potential for clean electricity generation. However, these structures’ operation and maintenance (O&M) present unique challenges due to their remote locations and harsh marine environments. For these reasons, it is fundamental to promote the development of autonomous solutions to monitor the health condition of the construction parts, preventing structural damage and accidents. This paper explores the application of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) in the inspection and maintenance of offshore wind turbines, introducing a new strategy for autonomous wind turbine inspection and a simulation environment for testing and training autonomous inspection techniques under a more realistic offshore scenario. Instead of relying on visual information to detect the WT parts during the inspection, this method proposes a three-dimensional (3D) light detection and ranging (LiDAR) method that estimates the wind turbine pose (position, orientation, and blade configuration) and autonomously controls the UAV for a close inspection maneuver. The first tests were carried out mainly in a simulation framework, combining different WT poses, including different orientations, blade positions, and wind turbine movements, and finally, a mixed reality test, where a real vehicle performed a full inspection of a virtual wind turbine.


27 April 2024
Verified
Book Chapter
Closed access
PDF file
VMVitor Minhoto
Vitor Minhoto
TSTiago Santos
Tiago Santos
LSLuís Torres E Silva
Luís Torres E Silva
PRPaulo Rodrigues
Paulo Rodrigues
AAAdriana Arrais
Adriana Arrais
JCJoão Paulo Silva Cunha
João Paulo Silva Cunha