Research Projects

Public Funding

• CUAHC (Cooperative UAH car)
  

  CUAH is a public project, funded by the General Traffic Division of Spain (2015) which aims to advance cooperative automation, bridging the gap between lab demos and real-life implementation. The purpose of this project is to give a general overview of the different designs used to adapt a factory vehicle, with no access to low-level control systems, into a fully-automated cooperative vehicle fit to compete in the GCDC2016.
  

• TEDS4BEE (Test of Digital Services for Buildings Energy Efficiency)
  

  TEDS4BEE is a CIP project, funded by the European Comission through the Competitiveness and Innovation Programme (2013-2015) with the aim to reduce energy consumption in public buildings with the help of the EMMOS (Energy Management and Monitoring Operational System) Digital Service, making it possible to collect, store and analyze consumption data and other parameters that influence energy consumption, such as temperature, humidity, NOx, CO2, comfort level, light intensity, etc.
  

• OUTSMART
  

  OUTSMART is a FI-PPP project, funded by the European Comission through the Future Internet Public-Private Partnership Programme (2011-2013). The goal of OUTSMART is to contribute to the Future Internet (FI) by aiming at the development of five innovation eco-systems. These eco-systems facilitate the creation of a large variety of pilot services and technologies that contribute to optimised supply and access to services and resources in urban areas. This will contribute to more sustainable utility provision and, through increased efficiency, lower strain on resources and on the environment.

• FOTSIS (European Field Operational Test on Safe, Intelligent and Sustainable Road Operation)
  

  FOTsis (European Field Operational Test on Safe, Intelligent and Sustainable Road Operation) is a largescale field testing of the road infrastructure management systems needed for the operation of seven close-to-market cooperative I2V, V2I & I2I technologies (the FOTsis Services), in order to assess in detail both 1) their effectiveness and 2) their potential for a full-scale deployment in European roads. Funded by the European Comission through the FP7 Programme (2011-2014).

• INNPACTO PRENDE (Plataforma de Rehabilitación Energética)

  PRENDE is a project funded by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (2012-2015). PRENDE creates a TIC-based, easy to use, citizen aimed service that chains environmental and energy efficiency information to and from specific neighbourhoods. This service aims to improve the energy efficiency of the neightbourhoods by raising awareness and offering specific solutions to the different neighbourhood typologies identified in the project.

• INNPACTO DINATRANS (Transiciones dinámicas para vías de alta velocidad y mercancías).

  DINATRANS project aims to understand the dynamic behaviour of the trasition stretches of the railway between a low rigidity and a high rigidity area. These transition stretches suffer a higher stress leading to overloads and a fast degeneration of both the railway and the trains. This project will design a new transition stretch to reduce these effects on the railway. Funded by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (2012-2015)

• INNPRONTA. Ciudad 2020

  The INNPRONTA project CIUDAD 2020 aims to achieve a significant advanced in the areas of energy efficiency, internet of the future (IoF), internet of the things (IoT), human behavior, environmental sustainability and mobility & transport in order to design the city of the future: sustainable, smart and efficient. CIUDAD2020 conceives, designs and implements a new paradigm of smart, sustainable and efficient city around three fundamental axes: Energy and Efficiency, Mobility and Transport and Environmental Control. Funded by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (2011-2014).

• Guiado automático de vehículos de transporte público mediante percepción multimodal para mejorar la eficiencia (GUIADE).

  GUIADE's aim is the development of an autonomous public transport fleet based on a multi-modal perception of the environment, using information collected by the vehicles from the environment as well as from the infrastructure. Funded by the Spanish Ministry of Industry, Tourism and Trade (2008-2011)

• Sistema de detección de vehículos basado en visión para la prevención y mitigación de colisiones traseras en carretera.

  Funded by the Spanish Chamber of Education and Culture (2009)

• Sistema de mejora del posicionamiento global en vehículos de carretera para el incremento de la seguridad de los navegadores automáticos.
  Funded by the Regional Government of Madrid and the University of Alcalá (2007)
• Comunicaciones entre vehículos e infraestructuras de transporte en carreteras, incluyendo GNSS, en zonas críticas.
  Funded by the Spanish Ministry of Development (2006-2009)
• Cooperación con China y Australia en el desarrollo de Sistemas Inteligentes de Transportes.
  Funded by the Spanish Ministry of Education and Science (2006-2008)
• Desarrollo de un sistema avanzado de control de móviles no cooperantes.
  Funded by the Spanish Ministry of Development, Education and Science (2005)
• Estudio sobre la viabilidad de la transmision de voz sobre GPRS (VoGPRS).
  Funded by the Spanish Ministry of Development, Education and Science (2005)
• Red temática GUIA-EX. Parte II.
  Funded by the Spanish Interministerial Comission of Science and Technology (2005-2006)

Private Funding

• Smart Cross
  

  SmartCross has been devised as an intelligent system for advanced management of traffic lights at pedestrian crossings. The system watches not only the crossing area but also the pedestrian waiting zones on the sidewalks. With an all-weather, all-illumination condition design, based on stereovision and infrared illumination, SmartCross is intended to improve urban mobility by adapting the trafiic light phases as a function of traffic and pedestrians conditions. In addiition, SmartCross provides great savings in fuel energy and, consequently, a significant reduction in gas emissions.
  Funded by the Innovation Centre for Intelligent Infrastructures (CI3) (2011)

• VISUALISE – Visual Inspection of Signs and Panels.
  

  VISUALISE is a high-performance unit for dynamic auscultation of traffic signs on roads. It allows automatic determination of the traffic signs conditions in regard with night visibility. By means of this Equipment it can be carried out signs retroreflection measurements at regular traffic speed. The main technological innovation of this equipment is that test data acquisition is performed dynamically. The system is installed in a vehicle that circulates at regular traffic speed. Valid data can be obtained while travelling at speeds up to 110 kilometres per hour.
  Funded by Euroconsult New Technologies SA (2009 - 2010)

• Smart parking
  

  SmartParking has been devised as an intelligent system for advanced monitoring of free parking lots in outdoor car parks. The system is also applicable indoors. Based on a monocular camera, SmartParking can provide real time monitoring for up to 20 parking lots simultaneaously. Self-calibration functions are included to endow the system with adaptabiity to zoom or motion changes.
  Funded by IMAGINA Vision Artificial SA (2008 - 2011)

• Road distress detection and classification
  

  Road distress detection and assessment using linear cameras onboard a vehicle.
  Funded by AEPO SA (2008 - 2011)

• Advanced Driver Assistance Systems: Pedestrian Detection and Diagnosis Functions
  

  PDP is a stereo-based system for pedestrian detection and tracking. Pedestrians in the surrounding of the vehicle are analysed and tracked, with special focus on those pedestrians located in the vehicle trajectory or on the edge to enter the vehicle reachable space. Warning to the driver is issued in case of inminent danger.
  Funded by Ficomirrors SA (2008)

• Consultor de Linux para el entorno empresarial, consultor en Internet y aplicaciones e-commerce y especialista en desarrollo de aplicaciones web (módulos javascript y java)
  

  On line teaching courses for ESIN employees on linux web servers configuration.
  ESIN Consultores SL (2006 - 2007)

• Desarrollo de un coche de demostración. Democar I
  

  Pedestrian daytime and nightime detection system using IR cameras.
  Funded by Ficosa International SA (2007)

• Lane Departure Warning System
  

  LDWS provides accurate detection of road lane markings using a single microcamera. Distances to the left and right road markings are computed with centimeric accuracy. The system exhibits robust performance in all weather conditions, both at day and at night. Warnings are issued to the driver in case of inadvertent departure.
  Funded by Ficomirrors SA (2006-2007)

• Adaptive Light Control
  

  ADL aims to the detection of the lane marks and the drivable area, when there are no lane marks, using a high dynamic range camera, specifically designed to deal with challenging illumination situations such as tunnels, rain, fog, direct sun, etc.
  Funded by IEE (International Electronics and Engineering) S. A. (2006)

• Desarrollo de un sistema de visión binocular embarcado en vehículo experimental con el objetivo de realizar la detección anticipada de peatones para mitigar el efecto de un atropello sobre los mismos.
  

  PDP is a stereo-based system for pedestrian detection and tracking. Pedestrians in the surrounding of the vehicle are analysed and tracked, with special focus on those pedestrians located in the vehicle trajectory or on the edge to enter the vehicle reachable space. The vehicle's hood is triggered when the collision is unavoidable, in order to mitigate its effects on the pedestrians.
  Funded by Instituto Nacional de Técnicas Aeroespaciales (INTA) (2004 - 2005)

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Entrepreneurship

Since 2009, Dr. Parra is one of the co-founders of Vision Safety Technologies Ltd a spin-off company established to commercialize computer vision systems for road infrastructure inspection. Vision Safety Technologies Ltd., was started as the first technological spin-off participated by the University of Alcalá.

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Awards

• DRIVERTIVE team wins the Prize for the Best Team with Full Automation in the Grand Cooperative Driving Challenge (GCDC 2016) held in Helmond, The Netherlands, in 28-29 May 2016.
  
• Researchers from INVETT and RobeSafe win the 2013 IEEE ITSS Outstanding Application Award, sponsored by the IEEE Intelligent Transportation Systems Society, for the project VISUALISE - VISUAL Inspection of Signs and panEls
  
• Best Research and Innovation Award. 3M Foundation. Category: Road Safety (2009)
  
• Second Best Master Thesis on Road Safety, awarded by ADA Lectureship (2005)