Las Argentina Robotics Conference 2024 (JAR) They were organized by the country’s community of robotics researchers, which includes specialists from the National Council for Scientific and Technical Research (CONICET) and national universities. The aim is to create a space for exchange and learning between experts, developers, students, representatives of leading companies and organizations in the technology sector. This edition is the first to take place at the University of Buenos Aires (UBA).
The inaugural meeting was held in the conference room of the Cero más Infinito building of the UBA Faculty of Exact Sciences – and was led by CONICET researcher, Director of the UBA Robotics Laboratory and JAR 2024 President Pablo De Cristóforis, Director of the Research Institute of Computing Technology (ICC, UBA-CONICET) Diego Garbervetsky and Dean Exactas – UBA Guillermo Durán.
In this framework, De Cristóforis emphasized that the conference included innovative activities, including: the organization of an industrial day “which served to connect research groups from the various universities and scientific centers of the country with the manufacturing sector”. And he also highlighted a panel of women who had academic and industry references discussing the gender gap that exists in technological disciplines such as robotics or artificial intelligence, “where unfortunately the presence of women and diversity or dissent is a much smaller percentage and V there’s been a very interesting debate within the robotics community in Argentina about what specific steps we can take to start reversing this.”
With the participation of more than a hundred researchers, teachers, students and leading experts in the field, JAR activities focused on the following thematic axes: Aerial, aquatic and underwater robotics: covering all applications related to drones. Humanoid robots, arthropods and bio-inspired robotics such as the use of AI algorithms. Robotic autonomous vehicles: involves the use of robotic vehicles to transport cargo and passengers. Human-Robot Interaction (HRI). And educational robotics, since the national education system has incorporated robotics and programming at all levels of compulsory education, Argentina is the first country in Latin America to introduce them.
In this regard, the researcher De Cristóforis notes that, based on the growth and expansion of different robotics groups in different universities and research centers in the country, “in academia we increasingly see the presence of robotics, because it is an interdisciplinary discipline, it combines from mechanical, electrical, and electronic engineering, to a degree in computer science, in data science, in mathematics, in physics, this means that interest in robotics and artificial intelligence is really growing from various university courses,” he elaborated.
And he added: “We have seen the benefit of robotics in the technological bond in various works applied to precision agriculture, robots that are used for cultivation, we have also seen work on the development of industrial robotics with manipulators that are mainly used for work. with various manufacturing companies, mobile robots for smart warehouses, development of prototypes for environmental care, for example for monitoring the condition of water bodies, lagoons, airplanes or drones that are used to monitor ecosystems such as native forests.”
The Institute of Automation participated in plenary meetings (INAUTCONICET-UNSJ), Ricardo Carellifrom the Physics and Engineering Research Center of the Center of the Province of Buenos Aires (CIFICENCIC – CONICET – UNICEN), Gerardo Acostafrom the Languages and Artificial Intelligence Group, National University of Comahue, Laura Cecchifrom the Higher Polytechnic Center, University of Zaragoza, Spain, Javier Civerafrom the National Polytechnic Institute, Tijuana, Mexico, Eduardo Morenoy de la Mixed Reality and AI Microsoft Lab, Zurich, Juan Nieto.
Institute of Computer Sciences (ICCUBA-CONICET), Franco-Argentine International Center for Information and System Sciences (CIFASISCONICET-UNR), Institute for Advanced Studies in Engineering and Technology (ITCONICET-UNC) and the Higher Institute of Biological Research (INSERTCONICET-UNT).
Furthermore, the President of JAR highlighted the participation and presence of researchers in training and already trained from CONICET in this issue and the quality of their work. “A very important contribution indeed, and an increase in the number of researchers, PhDs and postdocs working more and more in robotics and artificial intelligence applied to robotics. Of the five plenary lectures, two were given by CONICET researchers,” he emphasized.
There were spaces for academic exchange and experience with industry, where prototype exhibitions were developed and representatives of public and private organizations such as the National Institute of Industrial Technology (INTI) participated in the report of various statistics on the impact of robotics in Argentina. and in the world, Dr. Manuel Sadosky Foundation with expertise in technology linkages between research groups and companies. Some leading national companies in the field told their success stories and presented their new developments.
