The University of Santiago de Chile will participate in Congreso Futuro, an event that will take place from Monday, January 13 to Saturday, January 18 at the CEINA Cultural Center and other facilities in various regions of the country.
Dr. José Zagal Moya, National Prize in Natural Sciences 2024 and member of the Faculty of Chemistry and Biology, will give a presentation entitled “The role of chemistry in sustainable energy” on Thursday 16, at 3:00 p.m., in the session called “Energy, sustenance for growth.”
Dr. Zagal will be sharing the schedule with three other outstanding researchers:
Guido Núñez-Mujica, data scientist and computational biologist; Charlyne Smith, nuclear engineer and scientist at the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI); and Shuiping Tu, president of Power China in Argentina and Marketing at Powerchina Americas.
This block will assess the real risk of the multiple forms of energy production that are key to deciding which alternatives should be chosen to sustain a country's energy consumption and how nuclear energy is a safe and clean form of energy production.
Rector Dr. Rodrigo Vidal Rojas noted that it is an honor for the campus that our academic is part of the 122 exhibitors of this great event.
“Speaking of the future, it is impossible to ignore clean energies, hence the importance and relevance of Dr. Zagal's participation in this event.
To achieve and apply these energies, we need creativity and a globalized vision that I am sure we can think of at Usach,” he said.
He also referred to the relevance of this university's involvement in this event of science and free thought.
“The presence of Usach in Congreso Futuro is no coincidence, since it is in our seal and university work to think in the long-term solutions to social problems.
This space is of utmost importance, as it allows academia and expertise to relate to the daily problems of citizens, seeking creative and innovative solutions to them,” said Dr. Vidal.
Usach robots
At the same event, the Laboratory of Entrepreneurship and Innovation of the Department of Industrial Engineering (Leind), will exhibit three robots they have been developing at our University.
First it was ATOM, which generated a stir at the 2024 version of Congreso Futuro, and now LIAM and the debut of STELARBOT.
In the case of ATOM, it will showcase new capabilities such as object manipulation, considering future applications of this technology in production lines.
With gaze tracking, it will also be able to describe what it sees, commenting on the physical characteristics of what it observes, being able to incorporate this type of technology to risk management in mining or construction in the event of possible cave-ins or collapses.
LIAM, appearing for the first time at the event, is a robot manufactured with 3D printing, measuring 80 centimeters and weighing 15 kilos with integrated battery and processor.
Its creators have tasked it to work with children living with neurodivergence, as a support object for teachers in the classroom, reinforcing learning in girls and boys diagnosed with ADHD and ASD.
With artificial intelligence, it can help in situations of anxiety and in the development of social-emotional skills.
Finally, STELARBOT is a challenge that originated through a request from the Chilean Air Force at the last Future Congress.
The request is aimed at developing a robot oriented towards labor inclusion, specifically with the Teleton Foundation.
As such, the robot is projected as a tour guide piloted by a person with a disability.
The android will have an independent processor, allowing it to operate and travel autonomously, as it will not be connected to any power source.
The first part of the project, which corresponds to the helmet of the new robot astronaut, will be exhibited at Congreso Futuro 2025.
It is expected to join the National Space Center (CEN) - a Chilean NASA model - which will open its doors in the Cerrillos district, where all satellite, innovation and entrepreneurship developments will converge.
In addition to the University's participation in the event, three spin-off projects supported by the Innovo Usach Center will showcase their progress at a technology fair.
These are Liva Company, Startup Usach, of the graduates Natalia and Catalina Garrido; Neuren, Spin Off of the academic Ricardo Crespo; and Smart Packaging, Spin Off of the academic María José Galotto.