Wearable technology has been developed in recent years to monitor biomechanical variables in less restricted environments and in a more affordable way than optical motion capture systems. This paper proposes the development of a 3D printed knee wearable goniometer that uses a Hall-effect sensor to measure the knee flexion angle, which works with a mobile app that shows the angle in real-time as well as the activity the user is performing (standing, sitting, or walking). Detection of the activity is done through an algorithm that uses the knee angle and angular speeds as inputs. The measurements of the wearable are compared with a commercial goniometer, and, with the Aktos-t system, a commercial motion capture system based on inertial sensors, at three speeds of gait (4.0 km/h, 4.5 km/h, and 5.0 km/h) in nine participants. Specifically, the four differences between maximum and minimum peaks in the gait cycle, starting with heel-strike, were compared by using the mean absolute error, which was between 2.46 and 12.49 on average. In addition, the algorithm was able to predict the three activities during online testing in one participant and detected on average 94.66% of the gait cycles performed by the participants during offline testing.

In recent years, social assistive robots have gained significant acceptance in healthcare settings, particularly for tasks such as patient care and monitoring. This paper offers a comprehensive overview of the expressive humanoid robot, Qhali, with a focus on its industrial design, essential components, and validation in a controlled environment. The industrial design phase encompasses research, ideation, design, manufacturing, and implementation. Subsequently, the mechatronic system is detailed, covering sensing, actuation, control, energy, and software interface. Qhali’s capabilities include autonomous execution of routines for mental health promotion and psychological testing. The software platform enables therapist-directed interventions, allowing the robot to convey emotional gestures through joint and head movements and simulate various facial expressions for more engaging interactions. Finally, with the robot fully operational, an initial behavioral experiment was conducted to validate Qhali’s capability to deliver telepsychological interventions. The findings from this preliminary study indicate that participants reported enhancements in their emotional well-being, along with positive outcomes in their perception of the psychological intervention conducted with the humanoid robot.

STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics) education is increasingly recognized as a strategic approach to fostering innovation and competency development in higher education. This study presents a systematic literature review of STEAM research and its implications for promoting innovation through art-science collaboration. A total of 172 articles were initially identified through database searches, of which 34 met the inclusion criteria for final analysis. The review included publications from IEEE Xplore, SCOPUS, Web of Science, and Springer, covering the period from 2014 to 2024. The selected studies highlight diverse case studies and applied research initiatives involving interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary teams. Results reveal a global increase in STEAM-related academic output, although research remains limited in Latin America. This gap underscores the importance of promoting regional studies and institutional support in Latin America to strengthen STEAM research ecosystems. Key competencies linked to innovation identified in the reviewed studies include critical thinking, creativity, collaboration, and problem-solving. This review contributes to understanding the role of STEAM in advancing educational innovation and knowledge transfer through integrated, collaborative practices.

This research presents the design, implementation, and validation of KitMec, a modular educational tool developed to support the teaching and learning of simple machines in engineering and design education. The study examines persistent difficulties students face in understanding and applying mechanical principles, particularly in Latin American contexts where access to didactic materials is limited or dependent on costly imported kits. A user-centered, design-based methodology was applied, structured in three stages: exploration, conceptualization, and validation. Six university instructors from industrial design, mechanical engineering, and mechatronics, along with ten design students, participated in semi-structured interviews to identify pedagogical needs. Subsequently, a digital validation involving 29 participants achieved a 72 % acceptance rate. Results indicate that KitMec promotes active learning, improves conceptual understanding, and increases motivation through hands-on experimentation and interdisciplinary collaboration. Its modular, low-cost design enables adaptability across disciplines and educational levels, contributing to inclusive and sustainable STEM/STEAM education in Latin America.

In developing countries with a broad entrepreneurial spirit; some ventures are not successful because good business ideas that solve specific needs and in a sustainable manner are not chosen. This situation is because there is a lack of knowledge on how to apply design and business methodologies to define one of the most important aspects of the business: The value proposition. Promoting and developing tools that merge and synthesize existing methodologies with a practical approach to reduce the difficulties that entrepreneurs go through when formulating an innovative idea is fundamental and urgent, especially in emerging countries. Due to the importance of understanding the needs of the user and their context, design methodologies are taken as the basis for development. The result is used by the largest number of entrepreneurs, through a free Nooc, a short online course, which explains how to apply the methodological tools developed, massifying access to knowledge

Fomentar la inclusión laboral de trabajadores con discapacidad, permite que estos logren su autonomía tanto funcional como económica. Para lograr inclusión, los espacios laborales deben ser adaptados de acuerdo al tipo de oficio y necesidades del trabajador, en el caso de empresas de producción de alimentos estos espacios se conocen como modelos de cocina inclusiva. Por lo tanto, el objetivo de esta investigación es evaluar la inclusión laboral de personas con discapacidad auditiva (PDA), asistidos con tecnología en negocios gastronómicos a través del estudio de caso del Grupo Empresarial WillCorp Perú S.A.C. Se utilizó un wearable-smartwatch Willy para transmitir instrucciones a través de comunicación simbólica a sus trabajadores PDA. La metodología de evaluación se basa en dos técnicas, una de observación con variables temporales; y una encuesta basada en el modelo de prácticas de evaluación de inclusión Mckinsey para medir la importancia de las percepciones de sus trabajadores PDA sobre la mejora de la inclusión laboral usando tecnología de asistencia. Se observó que el grupo que utilizo el wereable vs el grupo de control tuvo una mejora en tiempo de respuesta de una actividad, en media 9.4 segundos y se constató una disminución significativa en el tiempo de respuesta grupal lo que genero mayor satisfacción (p<0.05). Asimismo, la percepción de inclusión laboral por los trabajadores fue positiva respecto al uso de Tecnología de Asistencia para mejorar la equidad en la comunicación entre ellos, según los resultados de la encuesta por cada una de las variables y prácticas seleccionadas del modelo de prácticas de evaluación de inclusión Mckinsy y desde una perspectiva cuantitativa, en conjunto presentaron alineamiento moderado (90%).