A multifunctional chair for people with disabilities, designed by three high school students from Tacna, won first place in the III Hackathon in Educational Robotics and Digital Technologies 2024 organized by the Ministry of Education.
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The chair has been designed with lego pieces, It works with artificial intelligence and obeys the voice of its user. In addition, it has sensors that They detect obstacles or the end of a sidewalk to stop and back up and protect the integrity of the person who uses it.
Its creators are the students Sofia Tupac Yupanqui, Mariana Apari and Leonardo Ticona, from the fourth grade of secondary school at the IE Miguel Prowho had as tutor the Professor Alfonso Mayta. They were the only candidates from this border region who managed to secure a spot in the hackathon.
Sofia and Mariana already have experience in these competitions, since last year they took second place at the regional level of the National School Floral Games with another scientific projectThis year, Leonardo joined them.
Mariana explains that The chair can be raised so that the person can reach objects, something that could not be done in a normal wheelchair. Leonardo also says that it has foldable robotic arms that help the user get in and out of bed or go to the bathroom to give them greater security and independence.
Sofia says that a month ago, his team, called Los Cibermiguelinos de Tacnareceived the news that their multifunctional chair project had been selected to compete in the hackathon. From that moment on, they got to work and began working hard to fine-tune the chair’s functionality.
Teacher Mayta says that this project It was specially designed for the hackathon and that, in each competition, his school always presents a new and unique project from its design, assembly and programming, because there is a lot of interest in robotics among the students.
After winning category C, the Minister of Education, Morgan Quero, congratulated these students and highlighted the teamwork carried out to develop this innovative project that improves the quality of life of disabled people.
The Cyber Miguelinos of Tacna They are proud to return triumphantly to their school with a national robotics award, the first of its kind they have received. In their luggage they carry a trophy and medals made with 3D printing, electronic devices donated by educational partners and the hope of contributing with new technological designs for the well-being of the community.
The III Hackathon took place from August 2 to 4 at the Huampaní Convention Center in Lima, organized by the Directorate of Technological Innovation in Education of Minedu. It was attended by 202 students, teachers and experts, who created robots to help people with disabilities and to prevent the proliferation of fungi in plants.