Robot at Factory 4.0 at the 26th Robocup Portugal Open! The Bare Metal team, sponsored by CeDRI, took first place in the Robot at Factory 4.0 competition at the 26th Robocup Portugal Open. This year, five teams took part in this competition, in which various autonomous robots transport materials from one location to another on a factory floor. To this end, navigation and cooperation algorithms, as well as the development of the robots, were crucial to winning this award. Researchers João Braun, Vinicius Grilo and José Lima from CeDRI were involved in this competition.

On 22 April 2026, José Barbosa and Flávia Pires, researchers at CeDRI, attended the kick-off meeting of the ACTIVA RURAL TRANSFRONTERIZO Project, an EU-funded cross-border cooperation initiative under the POCTEP 2021–2027 programme. The project brings together 15 partners from Portugal and Spain with the aim of developing innovative socio-health care systems and promoting active ageing in rural cross-border areas. Its key activities include the creation of a Bauhaus Care Laboratory, the design of assistive technologies and accessible digital solutions, and the piloting of "Aldeas Smarthaus", rural communities that will serve as living labs for integrated care solutions. IPB plays a central role as coordinator of Activity 2, focused on the development of technology-based care models adapted to the needs of elderly people in rural settings. The project runs until December 2028.

If you missed the latest edition of Talk For Us, which took place on 18 March 2026 on the topic ‘Computer Vision in Agriculture: Deep Learning Methods for Real-World Scenarios’, presented by João Mendes, click on the link below to watch the full presentation. https://educast.fccn.pt/vod/clips/hp6pnq1o5/streaming.html?locale=pt

On 17 March, CeDRI welcomed a visit from around 50 students from the vocational courses at the João de Araújo Correia School Group (ESJAC) in Régua. The event was coordinated and supervised by researchers João Mendes and Beatriz Flamia. The practical demonstrations of the work were led by PhD researchers Maurício, Vinicius, Laiany, Mariano, João Coelho, Lucas Pinow, Guido and Victoria, who shared their knowledge and experiences with the students. The initiative provided an opportunity for learning and the exchange of ideas, bringing the students closer to the world of scientific research.

CeDRI wishes you a Happy Women’s Day! May this day celebrate the strength, inspiration, and achievements of women everywhere.

Today we celebrate International Day of Women and Girls in Science. At CeDRI, we recognise the vital importance of female representation in building a future driven by technology and academic excellence. Here's to all our researchers who transform science into progress every day!

A new project began... Digital Horizon Project With Inês Sena and a large team at the Centre for Research in Digitalisation and Intelligent Robotics, named Maria F Pacheco, José Magalhães Lima, Clara Vaz, Beatriz Flamia, Beatriz Mafra, João João Afonso Braun Neto, João Mendes, Adriano Silva, Rebeca Baron Kalbermatter, and Olena Dolid for project support. The Digital Horizon project aims to provide secondary school communities with the knowledge, skills, and strategies necessary to effectively integrate digital technologies and artificial intelligence (AI) into teaching and learning. More information about the European Digital Horizon project is available at: https://digitalhorizon.pixel-online.org/index.php

The BIWIT – Business Intelligence With Innovation and Technology project began with the first launch meeting, which brought together the entities that make up the consortium, including the Centre for Research in Digitalisation and Intelligent Robotics (CeDRI). This project aims to create an advanced solution that combines artificial intelligence and predictive analytics, enabling it to support entrepreneurs and companies in structuring, validating and developing their projects, based on concrete data and personalised recommendations. BIWIT reflects a clear commitment to collaboration between scientific knowledge and business experience, geared towards creating value, innovation and sustainable economic impact.

On Friday, January 16th, 2026, researcher João Braun recorded an interview at the Rádio Observador studio in Alvalade for the Mentes Brilhantes program, part of the Aula Prática series, with researcher Henrique Veiga-Fernandes. Opportunities, challenges, and difficulties in scientific research were discussed, where João Braun shared the current projects he is working on, including Fructhor AI. The interview will be available as a podcast and broadcast on Rádio Observador in February.

On December 5, 2025, CeDRI researcher João Mendes participated in the REGIONAL RURAL program, the only radio program in Portugal that deals with issues related to the rural world on a daily basis, discussing the role of AI in the challenges of agriculture. The interview was prompted by the publication of an article in AJAP's Jovens Agricultores magazine.