Ruales, María Belén
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Ruales, María Belén
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Ambato
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belenruales@uti.edu.ec
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57209973575

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Strategic Planning to Improve the Production Systems of an MSME: Case Study of a Toy Store

2024 , Buele, Jorge , Lozada-Cepeda J.A. , Ruales, María Belén

Competitiveness in the sales and services sector is becoming more and more intense. Therefore, the implementation of methodologies and strategies is necessary for the achievement of objectives, business growth, and the improvement of production systems. This article presents the performance of a strategic plan (SP) to identify the shortcomings of a company belonging to the MSME group. A toy store developing in Ecuadorian business is presented as a case study. The initial analysis uses tools such as the external PESTEL analysis, the Servqual model, and an analysis of current competitiveness. A new business model (Business Model Canvas) is defined to implement the plan, and strategic initiatives and projects are established. Since this study is projected for five years, experimental results are obtained for the first year, which shows a reduction in the gaps between customer expectations and the service offered. There is also evidence of minor quality mismatches in the Servqual model and a better competitive position than others. These objectives are related to increasing the company’s performance and combining quality, cost, and logistics on time. © 2024, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.

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Virtual goniometer using 3 space mocap sensors for lower limbs evaluation

2020 , Buele, Jorge , Pilatásig, M. , Angueta, H. , Ruales, María Belén , Varela Aldas, José

The deterioration of motor skills in lower limbs represents a reduction in people’s quality of life. This paper presents a virtual goniometer developed by the 3 Space Mocap sensors and Unity 3D software. The system shows lower limbs angles in real-time. This system helps physiatrists determine the movements of hip and knee and was compared with a goniometer to corroborate the system performance. To validate this prototype, comparative tests are carried out present a standard deviation of 1.86° and 2.12° in the left hip and knee respectively. Therefore, it confirms to be a reliable proposal for physical evaluations of lower limbs. © Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2020.

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Construction of a WBGT index meter using low cost devices

2020 , Varela Aldas, José , Fuentes, E.M. , Ruales, María Belén , Ichina, C.

Appropriate working conditions can improve the working performance of an employee on a company, one of the main concerns nowadays is the thermal stress, due to the affection not only to the productivity of an employee but also for the risk of affections to his health, in this sense, WBGT (Wet-Bulb Globe Temperature) index is widely proved to define thermal discomfort and thermal stress but in some cases is out of reach due to its cost or availability on a certain region of the world, so this work explains the construction of a low cost device WBGT meter built by an Arduino pro mini, three lm35 temperature sensors and an LCD to install the electronic system; Globe temperature and wet bulb temperature was achieved using a matte black sphere and moistened fabric, respectively. After testing the dispositive, the collected information was sent to a computer through serial communication for further analysis which showed acceptable errors on the measurement of the WBGT index taken indoors and outdoors thru the device and compared to the data obtained by a commercial WBGT meter. © Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2020.

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Teleoperation of a mobile manipulator with feedback forces for evasion of obstacles [Teleoperación de un manipulador móvil con retroalimentación de fuerzas para evasión de obstáculos]

2019 , Andaluz V.H. , Varela Aldas, José , Chicaiza F.A. , Quevedo W.X. , Ruales, María Belén

This work develops the teleoperation of a mobile manipulator using a kinematic and dynamic control. In addition, the operator receives feedback forces through a haptic device to evade obstacles. The experiments were performed in a local wireless communication network and using the AKASHA robot. The results show an adequate following of the references of control, speed errors are corrected with minimum communication delays. © 2019, Associacao Iberica de Sistemas e Tecnologias de Informacao. All rights reserved.

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Movement Monitoring in Commercial Areas Using Internet of Things

2023 , Varela Aldas, José , Ruales, María Belén , Bastidas G.

The Internet of Things has been a trend in the last decade and is now found in countless applications, solving problems in almost any field. Specifically, in the commercial area, there is an effort to apply this technology to facilitate the control of services or processes. This work presents the movement monitoring of commercial areas. The proposal uses the ESP32 board that, using passive infrared sensors located perpendicular to each other, covers two areas of interest for commercial premises with multiple products. The collected data travel to the ThingSpeak Platform, where there are graphs with the states of the sensors, allowing identify the active area. The results present the motion state readings in the two areas, indicating the correct functioning of the system. Finally, we use a technology acceptance model to analyze this proposal, determining an acceptance of 69.6% that is not favorable for this proposal. © 2023, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.

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Augmented Reality Application with Multimedia Content to Support Primary Education

2023 , Buele, Jorge , Espinoza J. , Ruales, María Belén , Camino-Morejón V.M. , Ayala-Chauvin, Manuel Ignacio

Education is continually reinventing itself to meet the growing needs of learners. In the context of an emergency, confinement and mobilization difficulties have necessitated the adoption of online education. This new offer brings technological means to conventional processes, but its main disadvantage is the limited access in some places. This has motivated the present study, which proposes the development of a mobile application using augmented reality (AR) to complement primary education. This application aims to disseminate multimedia content without needing a stable internet connection. A high-performance computer is required for the design and a mid-range smartphone for its execution. Four scripts are generated in c# programming language using Visual Studio. The environment and the three-dimensional objects are developed using Unity software and the packages ARFoundation, Unity MARS, and Vuforia. Two groups of 13 children each participated in the experimental testing. The experimental group used the application for two weeks to complement the virtual classes in the subjects of language, natural sciences, and mathematics. The analysis with SPSS software shows a statistically significant increase in the average grades compared to the control group. This research shows that the use of technology can contribute to improving the current teaching-learning processes. © 2023, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.

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IoT Monitoring to Control a Bicycle Parking Lot

2022 , Ruales, María Belén , Lara-Alvarez P. , Riba C. , Ayala-Chauvin, Manuel Ignacio

In recent years, the development of new technologies has improved the management of resources and services at the urban level. In this sense, several cities worldwide have developed intelligent infrastructures such as Smart Cities in which, through data collection and management, they aim to achieve social, environmental and economic improvements. Innovative bike racks are a promising solution to traffic-related problems in major cities around the world; however, there is a lack of low-cost solutions for controlling and monitoring bike racks and thus boosting the mobility of cyclists. This paper presents a system to monitor and control a bicycle parking lot. In order to achieve this goal, software and hardware specifications were defined and characterised by the control system. The conceptual design and detail of the prototype and the materialisation proceeded, where technology with ESP8266 microcontrollers and Raspberry Pi+Ethernet/WiFi microprocessors was used in the MQTT communication protocol to implement its architecture. The system implements in the bicycle parking lot of the Universidad Tecnológica Indoamérica. The series of data collected allowed for determining the frequency of use. With this, a database creates where the information on the frequency of use of bicycles is stored. Finally, through a mobile application, the availability of parking spaces can be consulted, and bikes in the parking lot can monitor. © 2022, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.

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Body Temperature Control Using a Robotic Arm

2021 , Varela Aldas, José , Moreira A. , Criollo P. , Ruales, María Belén

At the end of 2019, a highly contagious virus appears, changing the form of interaction between humans, this has implied the use of technology as a support tool to counteract the effects of the new disease (COVID-19). Although many technologies have been successfully adapted, applied robotics promises to reduce or even eliminate the need for person-to-person contact. This article presents the control of the body temperature of the clients of a commercial premises through the implementation of a system that includes a robotic arm, two sensors and a mobile device. The robotic arm is constructed using 3D printing and a low-cost electronic circuitry, body temperature is obtained using an infrared sensor, and a mobile device displays, alerts, and stores the information. The developed code allows remote control of the robot positions or a pre-programmed sequence is automatically activated that includes temperature measurement and hand disinfection. The results show the robot in operation and the data acquired by the system, observing adequate temperatures in most of the users and a single alert during the tests carried out. The conclusions establish the importance of the system in the real application and highlight the multiple benefits of this proposal. © 2021, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.

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Automation of the Feeding System for Washing Vehicles Using Low Cost Devices

2020 , Saa, Fernando , Varela Aldas, José , Latorre F. , Ruales, María Belén

Vehicle washing is a profitable business today, but it produces unwanted environmental effects that should be considered; autonomous systems are a viable solution for the optimization of resources in production processes and services. This paper presents the implementation of an automatic resource feeding system for vehicle washing using low cost devices. The system consists of an Arduino Mega controller, ultrasonic sensors to measure the level of liquids, several actuators, Bluetooth communication devices and a mobile application. The results present the consumption of resources in a month of operation, demonstrating the benefits of this proposal. © 2020, Springer Nature Switzerland AG.

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