Podcast with Vanessa Restrepo Schild from SHD Medellín

Listen to our interview with Vanessa Restrepo Schild, organizer of SHD Medellín and president of the Kairos Society of Latin America.

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Q&A with Science Hack Day Medellín Winner: Jimmy Alexander Garcia Caicedo

Submitted by aswartz on Fri, 2014-07-18 14:16

Matt Biddulph

Science Hack Day Medellín Winner, Jimmy Alexander Garcia Caicedo, talks about his experience at Science Hack Day and how his team came up with the winning hack - a motion-sensor activated conveyor belt for people with reduced mobility that works with clean and alternative energy.
What is your name and what do you do?

My name is Jimmy Alexander Garcia Caicedo. I teach technology in Medellín and am a systems engineer.

What is your background in science, if any, and what are you major areas of interest?  

My experience is in educational robotics and innovation. I am interested in technology and eco-urbanism.

How did you first hear about Science Hack Day? 

I heard of Science Hack Day from a former student of my institution, and we wanted to participate to present an innovative idea (an automated and self-sustaining bridge) that we think solves a community problem. The Medellin event was my first Science Hack Day.

How did you come up with the idea for your hack?

Our project for Science Hack Day Medellín arose from a mobility problem that occurs in the community. We tailored an idea we had in the past to answer one of the four challenges described in the event to present the most innovative idea.

Have you worked with anyone in your team before attending the event?

Yes, I worked with my robotics club on a project for a science, technology and innovation fair in Medellin. This project provided the basis for building our hack, which we called SIMA (Automated Mobility System).

Did you have an idea of what type of hack you wanted to build before the event?

We knew we wanted to focus on solving a community problem. The trick to building the best idea was to build a prototype Automated Mobility System with robótics pieces; this allowed us to demonstrate the functionality of the idea on a smaller scale.

Could you describe your winning hack? 

Our innovative and winning idea consists of a motion-sensor activated conveyor belt for people with reduced mobility: the elderly, pregnant women, children, cyclists, etc. It’s an inclusive system that works with clean and alternative energy (solar and kinetic). It also serves to protect the environment, as it integrates the concept of eco-urbanism to improve appearance and reduce overheating of parts, thus ensuring better performance and durability.

Did you learn anything new at the Science Hack Day event?

Of course. Sharing ideas with people from other areas makes for many lessons in design, communication, programming, teamwork, solidarity and more.

How does Science Hack Day benefit a local scientific and tech community and/or the community as a whole?

Science and communities benefit greatly when people from different and diverse backgrounds and professions analyze, raise and develop innovative ideas to solve real community problems.

ORIGINAL: EndNote
by aswartz
2014-08-19