Tuesday, June 18, 2024, 7:28 p.m
you have to be registered to access this feature.
The robot “CoCoBot”, sitting in the front rows among its creators, was presented at the Innovation Club of the Pontifical University with more “heart” than in previous editions. Rubén Martín, Samuel Marcos, Lucía Martín and Rebeca Cordero They were able to develop a prototype by giving it the ability to express emotions through facial expression. How do you do this? Specifically, as the researchers detailed, through an LED matrix in the eye area, the robot allows gestures, shapes, and colors to be represented to simulate feelings and moods (similar to emoticons).
Another advantage is the ability to automatically modulate the tone of the conversation based on the perceived mood of the user. “It’s a big advance in social robotics. You can react sad or happy, but also include irony as part of the conversation,” explains Martín. The goal of these interventions is that it can become an ally to cover the emotional needs of older people, to act in a more empathetic way and even be able to start a conversation without prior interaction.
Nine projects implemented by students and led by PDI ‘Talent’ stood out for their social usefulness: ARCA (youth care app) HElPeat (food and cooking management), IATucher (analysis of teacher profiles using artificial intelligence), Solaris (agriculture for resource management), SoundFit (promotion of physical activity for visually impaired people), PIREBA (smart battery collection platform), Miti Hub (technological solution for managing corporate events), Digital Citizen Assistant for Public Administration.
The same happened with those made by “Talent Pro”, members of PDI and PAS: a platform for creating applications with the Internet of Things; Book, play and connect with health promotion website; “VoiceHealth” for the early detection of pathologies through the acoustic level of the voice (dysphagia, Parkinson’s disease, dysphonia); robot CoCoBot and solar prevention warning system and incident record. Specifically, it’s a device that would replace an air whistle that would include GPS and a reservoir for sunscreen.
After the presentation of the ‘Talent’ and ‘Talent Pro’ projects, the invited regional and national companies, the president of AETICAL (Federation of Associations of Companies in the Information Technology, Communications and Electronics of Castilla y León) and the public in They were generally able to see with their own eyes the operation of the prototypes exhibited in a technological showcase installed near the Innovation HUB. The projects are funded from the TCUE plan (2024-2027). The head of the Department of Scientific Research, Knowledge Transfer and University Infrastructure of the Ministry of Education, Teresa León, recognized the importance of entrepreneurship “behind the creation” of society.
The event was chaired by the vice-rector for research and transfer, Ana Maria Fermosovaaccompanied by the Head of the Department of Scientific Research, Knowledge Transfer and University Infrastructure of the Ministry of Education of the Government of Castilla y León, Teresa Leon Herbosaand director of the Research and Transfer Management (GIT) service, Montserrat Mateos.
The Vice-Chancellor thanked the Ministry of Education and the Foundation of Universities and Higher Education of Castilla y León (FUESCYL) for the unconditional support and recalled the main goal of the TCUE (University-Business Knowledge Transfer) plan, which aims to strengthen the relationship between the university and the business environment, support entrepreneurial capacity and innovation culture . “In this sense, our Talent and Talent Pro challenges are aligned with the same goal, to support innovation and its transfer to the market and society,” he noted. Furthermore, in this call, the vice-rector emphasized the support of the entrepreneurial spirit, “which allows us to strengthen cooperation and contribute to the productive structure with new business initiatives derived from our projects”.
Teresa León emphasized the usefulness of the TCUE Junta de Castilla y León plan, “because it is the only place in Spain where there is a network made up of all the universities that work together to develop the region.” ». Similarly, he recognized the importance of entrepreneurship, “not only in creating society, but within innovative social ecosystems”. The head of the Service recalled that Castilla y León is an autonomous community larger than some European Union countries and, according to the person in charge, we must value the talent, ideas, innovation and technological progress that come from its universities. “We must keep your talent because Castilla y León is a land of opportunities,” he concluded.
The Director of GIT concluded by saying that UPSA will continue to work on improving the transmission to the company and the production structure. “For this reason, we will continue to strengthen the relationship with the business sector and institutions as a key aspect in which we must continue to take steps to ensure the transferability of these projects to society,” he insisted.
