Ricardo J. M. Azevedo

Manual handling and packing of thin metal plates remains a labour-intensive operation in the automotive manufacturing sector, frequently requiring multiple operators and resulting in limited productivity, reduced process repeatability, and ergonomic constraints. This paper presents a preliminary virtual and experimental proof-of-concept for the automation of such a packing task using a Delta robot, motivated by a representative industrial scenario involving automotive heat exchanger plates. The proposed study adopts an intentionally simplified problem formulation to support early-stage feasibility assessment and system design. In the considered scenario, nominal pickup and placement coordinates are predefined in the robot control program. The plates are manually aligned with marked pickup areas, while their actual physical poses are not measured or automatically corrected, allowing the study to focus on the robotic packing stage rather than on perception-based localization. A virtual robotic packing cell is developed using MATLAB-based simulation tools, with emphasis on functional sequence verification, workspace reachability, and end-effector integration. A set of preliminary feasibility indicators is considered, including reachability of the predefined positions, execution of the manipulation sequence, cycle time, end-effector behaviour, and correspondence between the planned and experimentally achieved layouts. The virtual model is used to support planning and preliminary analysis, while a simplified experimental demonstrator is implemented to verify the physical execution of the inclined-tray packing task using representative plate geometries. The experimental results provide a controlled functional feasibility baseline and identify part-presentation accuracy, sensing, calibration, and cycle-time reduction as the main requirements for further development.

The present study delves into the less explored relation between entrepreneurship and happiness and aims to deepen our understanding on entrepreneurship, entrepreneurial activities and lifestyle, and subjective well-being. A sample of 13 interviews conducted with entrepreneurs in Portugal was analyzed by a combination of qualitative interviews. By relying on self-reports to gauge the entrepreneurs’ perception of their own emotional state, the research has found that happiness extends beyond the traditional scope of objective well-being and is closely linked to their cognitive and emotional experiences, such as life satisfaction and emotional balance. The results show that entrepreneurs scored higher on happiness levels than the country average, even spending most of their week, weekends and holidays at work. Despite the long hours, more than half of the entrepreneurs did not feel they were missing valuable time with family and friends. However, they did acknowledge not having the most balanced and healthiest lifestyle reflected in a higher propensity to experience stress that could have further implications in mental health. These insights are central to understanding the nexus between entrepreneurship and well-being when factors such as on lifestyle, motivation and job satisfaction come into play, and the broader implications for entrepreneurial success.