Since its very beginning, Aitek participates in national and European research projects
Continuing research efforts are essential to develop product and process innovation and maintain a high level of competitiveness.
For this reason, Aitek participates in national and European funded research projects and joins in consortia and industrial districts promoting partnerships between companies, Universities and Research Organizations.
The result is the industrialization of solutions that contribute to increasing the efficiency and security of our customers’ activities, but also and above all to improving everyday life by making it more sustainable, simpler and more functional.
Thanks to this commitment and the expertise acquired in managing major projects, Aitek established itself as a technology advisor to support the Customer’s strategic innovation processes.
Over the years Aitek has taken part in dozens of funded research projects, at times playing important coordinating roles. Today, our commitment is aimed at developing applications based on the most advanced artificial intelligence techniques in numerous operating scenarios:
- Automotive: design and development of Driver Monitoring Systems installed and tested on driving simulators or real vehicles in collaboration with car manufacturers and industry-leading companies;
- People security: video monitoring of crowded environments such as railway stations, installation and testing of cutting-edge solutions for counting people
- Security of critical infrastructure: definition and implementation of video analytics applications that can be integrated into complex and heterogeneous cyber-physical systems for the monitoring of civil works;
- Road network monitoring: intelligent video analytics applications, especially focused on protecting vulnerable users such as pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists;
- Ports and Logistics: automation of goods handling processes and transit control systems at road or rail access gates;
- Maritime security: implementation of monitoring systems that integrate multispectral cameras and video analytics algorithms based on artificial intelligence techniques;
- Smart agriculture: video analytics applications for processing images acquired by drones;
- Retail and advertisement: in-store video analytics applications and platforms for the management of smart interactive kiosks for department stores and shopping malls.
Latest projects
DistriMuSe – Distributed Multi-Sensor systems for human safety and health
This project intends to improve sensing of human presence, behaviour and health in a collaborative or common environment by means of multi-sensor systems. In order to provide support in a collaborative environment with human, physical and digital players, the technology needs to be equipped with senses to grasp human presence, their mental and physical state, their activities and their intentions. This is required to ensure human safety, safeguard their health, and allow for natural interaction. Aitek is involved in the automotive and industrial use case to detect dangerous scenarios through VCA models trained on real and virtual images.
Research Programme: HORIZON-KDT-JU-2023-2-RIA
Duration: 36 months (May 2024- April 2027)
Website: https://distrimuse.eu/
ShapeFuture – Ensuring European ECS Value Chain Sovereignty through Shaping the Future of ECS for Automotive Applications
This project aims to develop a new generation of intelligent and resilient ECS (Electronic Control Systems) to increase the safety level of (semi-)autonomous vehicles. Specifically, the following objectives are targeted:
- ECS for perception with greater precision and robustness,
- Intelligent ECS, including cognitive features and Human-Machine Interface (HMI) with the driver,
- Innovative ECS with cognitive processing and decision-making capabilities,
- ECS for resilient automation and communications.
Aitek will provide its consolidated experience in AI-based video analytics to increase vehicle safety. Moreover, it will be involved in a use case about “Autonomous vehicle with enhanced in-out and out-in perception”.
Research Programme: HORIZON-KDT-JU-2023-2-RIA
Duration: 36 months (May 2024 – April 2027)
Mobiquity – Shared solutions for safe and inclusive mobility
Mobiquity aims to develop an integrated set of methodologies, practices, and innovative solutions targeted at citizens with mobility difficulties (elderly people and people with disabilities, including temporary ones), with the goal of improving accessibility to transportation systems and ensuring safety during urban mobility. The ambition of the project is to contribute to the creation of a more inclusive transportation ecosystem that provides equal mobility opportunities for all citizens. Aitek will be responsible for developing technological solutions for video analysis to monitor bus stops and buses in order to facilitate the movement of people with disabilities.
Research Programme: Regional Operational Programme (2021-2027), Liguria Region
Duration: 24 months (February 2024 – January 2026)
Website: https://mobiquity.eu/
TULIP – Terminal and mUltimodal Logistic Innovations for the Port and hinterland environment
This project aims to improve the interoperability and intermodality of the logistics chain by designing and developing a human-machine interface to optimize the management of multimodal transportation systems. TULIP will have a positive impact on various logistics sectors (e.g., port terminals and inland hubs), where the design and development of both physical and digital infrastructures will converge. The project will use ICT technologies, data-driven models, and AI. Aitek will develop innovative video analysis solutions (based on AI approaches) to support port automation, both at access points and in container handling and boarding procedures.
Research Programme: Regional Operational Programme (2021-2027), Liguria Region
Duration: 24 months (April 2024 – March 2026)
ARESA – Augmented REality for Situational Awareness
ARESA intends to develop a scalable technological solution based on smart glasses and augmented reality to support operational sectors in the logistics of port terminals and vehicle depots for public transportation. The solution will also need to identify any abnormal “hot spots” in vehicles to help prevent fires originating from vehicles. Two application cases are planned to validate the proposed solution. Aitek coordinates the project and conducts research and development activities on image analysis from cameras (visible and thermal) mounted on smart glasses worn by field operators.
Research Programme: Regional Operational Programme (2021-2027), Liguria Region
Duration: 24 months (March 2024 – February 2026)
REXASI-PRO
An AI algorithm must be safe, reliable and useful, in a word “trustworthy.” Aitek will play a key role in the project, defining these requirements, which will be the basis for the realization of an innovative wheelchair capable of self-piloting using sensors, drones and cameras, an application in which Aitek will be able to bring into play its established expertise in Deep Learning and Cyber Physical Sytems.
Research Programme: HORIZON-CL4-2021-HUMAN-01-01-RIA
Duration: 36 months (October 2022 – September 2025)
Website: https://rexasi-pro.spindoxlabs.com/
SMARTSTOP – Piattaforma per il monitoraggio SMART fermate della rete di mobilità pubblica attraverSo Tecniche di videO analytics Per il tramite di intelligenza artificiale
Study and prototyping of a data collection data monitoring platform in the smart mobility field to improve the quality of logistics management processes in an urban mobility context, thereby increasing their efficiency and safety. Aitek develops AI-based video analytics solutions for monitoring safety and people at bus stops.
Research Programme: Regional Operational Programme (2014-2020), Liguria Region
Duration: 18 months (September 2021 – February 2023)
MORE THAN THIS – A new MObility REgulation THinking ANd THoroughly Innovative inSpired
Development and testing of a scalable people counting and flow management solutions applied to the Genoa Subway with asset-light gates. In particular, Aitek develops video analysis solutions for counting people entering and leaving the station as well as the number of passengers going to or coming from the platforms, boarding or alighting from trains.
Research Programme: Regional Operational Programme (2014-2020), Liguria Region
Duration: 18 months (September 2021 – February 2023)
APPRAISE – fAcilitating Public & Private secuRity operAtors to mitigate terrorIsm Scenarios against soft targEts
The EU-funded APPRAISE project will develop an integrated threat intelligence solution designed for protecting the augmented cities environment. Building on the latest advances in big data analysis, AI and advanced visualisation, the project will offer unprecedented capabilities to predict and identify criminal and terrorist acts. Aitek will lead the Work Package Real-time early detection of security threats in soft targets, developing innovative video surveillance solution leveraging on Artificial Intelligence approaches.
Research Programme: H2020-SU-SEC-2020 – Topic: SU-FCT03-2018-2019-2020 – Information and data stream management to fight against (cyber)crime and terrorism
Duration: 24 months (September 2021 – August 2023)
FRACTAL
The goal of this project is the creation of a cognitive node for the processing of heterogeneous data, providing native support for the use of advanced Artificial Intelligence techniques. In particular, Aitek coordinates a use case together with the University of L’Aquila. This use case is aimed at developing an intelligent interactive totem capable of collecting local information and consequently adapting the information content shown.
Research Programme: H2020-ECSEL-2019-2-RIA
Duration: 36 months (September 2020 – August 2023)
NEXTPERCEPTION
The goal of this project led by VTT (Finland) and NXP (The Netherlands/Germany), is to develop next generation smart perception sensors and enhance the distributed intelligence paradigm to build versatile, secure, reliable, and proactive human monitoring solutions for the health, wellbeing, and automotive domains. Aitek will work on the definition of innovative Driver Monitoring System (DMS) based on video processing.
Research Programme: H2020-ECSEL-2019-2-RIA
Duration: 36 months (May 2020 – April 2023)
Website: www.nextperception.eu/
STEP – SmarT Education Platform
The STEP project aims to create an innovative augmented and virtual training and education system that can be applied in any professional context. The tool is a multi-channel and multi-platform system usable in SaaS, which integrates traditional skills with the latest technological tools such as Augmented Reality (AR), Virtual Reality (VR) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) applications.
Accordo Innovazione DM 24/5/2017 – PON FESR “Imprese e competitività” 2014-2020 (Asse I, Azione 1.1.3.)
Facilities granted:
€231.947,90 as a non-repayable contribution from the Ministry of Enterprise and Made in Italy
€40.874,38 as a non-repayable contribution from the Regione Liguria
€163.497,50 as subsidised credit from the Ministry of Enterprise and Made in Italy
TRUSTONOMY (Building Acceptance and Trust in Autonomous Mobility)
Study and validation of enabling technologies for the construction of semi-autonomous vehicles, in order to guarantee their safety, trust and acceptance by. In particular, the role of Aitek consists in the development of data processing solutions (in particular audio and video) based on Artificial Intelligence in order to monitor the status of the driver, particularly in potentially dangerous scenarios during the transition between autonomous and manual driving modes.
Research Programme: H2020-MG-2018-TwoStages
Duration: 36 months (May 2019 – April 2022)
COMP4DRONES (Framework of Key Enabling Technologies for Safe and Autonomous Drones)
Research project with the aim of providing a framework of key enabling technologies for safe and autonomous drones. It brings to bear a holistically designed ecosystem from application to electronic components, realized as a tightly integrated multi-vendor and compositional UAV embedded architecture solution and a tool chain complementing the compositional architecture principles. Aitek provides its video processing capabilities in an applicative case study about smart agriculture.
Research Programme: ECSEL-2018-2 – RIA
Duration: 36 months (October 2019 – September 2022)