The work developed by Inês Rito Lima aims to contribute to the evolution of autonomous driving has won the Altice International Innovation Awards

Inês Rito Lima, Master in Biomedical Engineering at the University of Minho (UMinho) and Researcher in the Software and Information Systems at DTx – Collaborative Laboratory in Digital Transformation, is one of the winners of the 3rd edition of the Altice International Innovation Awards (AIIA), in the Academy category, with the project “Neural Motor Behavior in Extreme Driving”. The researcher received a prize of 25 thousand euros for the project selected from a list of more than 90 applications with investigations related to artificial intelligence, big data and telecommunications. The awards ceremony took place yesterday, on the stage of the Capitoline Theater, in Parque Mayer, Lisbon.

The project developed by Inês Rito Lima for her master’s dissertation, conducted at UMinho and at the Imperial College London, in the United Kingdom, aims to contribute to the evolution of autonomous driving by exploring the intersection and analysis of information gathered about neurocognitive reactions and neuromotors, with the objective of evaluating and predicting the optimal performance of the human being under extreme driving conditions. Using electroencephalograms, eye monitoring systems, and accelerometers and gyroscopes that accompany limb movements, the Minho researcher extracted data on brain activity and reactions that a driver assumes while driving. The project was based on extracting data from Formula E driver Lucas Di Grassi (the equivalent of Formula 1 with electric cars) while driving a car in conditions considered complex or extremely difficult.

The Altice International Innovation Awards, the largest monetary prize awarded in Portugal in the area of ​​innovation, aim to promote technological talent, engineering and entrepreneurship developed in Portugal and France, countries where the company operates. Artificial Intelligence, IoT (Internet of Things), Big Data or Blockchain were the main areas of the projects in competition. The jury of the Altice International Innovation Awards consisted of Alcino Lavrador, general director of Altice Labs, Alexandre Fonseca, executive president of Altice Portugal, Ana Costa Freitas, dean of the University of Évora, António Bob Santos, administrator of the National Agency of Innovation, António Saraiva, president of the Portuguese Business Confederation, Christophe Delaye, chief information and network officer of Altice France, Nicolas Mattlé, wireless and B2B vice president of Altice USA Mobile, Ricardo Costa, journalist and director of the Impresa Group, and Rui Ferreira, vice president of Portugal Venture.