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    From simulation to reality: a learning methodology for understanding control systems and robotic arms with the ARCHIE robot
    (Frontiers Media SA, 2026-04-10)
    Saeteros, Juan
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    Mendoza, Erick
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    Ramirez, Jefferson
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    Fajardo-Pruna, Marcelo
    ;
    Bridging the gap between theoretical concepts and real-world implementation remains a critical challenge in the teaching of control systems and robotics. This paper presents an education method using ARCHIE, a low-cost, open-source articulated robot with six degrees of freedom, as an educational platform designed to enhance students’ understanding of control theory through practical learning. The study combines simulation (using MATLAB’s Simscape) with hands-on practice using the physical robot, following a Sim2Real methodology. A two-hour workshop was conducted with undergraduate mechatronics engineering students, incorporating pre- and post-assessments to evaluate learning gains. Preliminary results suggest a statistically significant improvement in students’ understanding of PID control concepts, with average test scores rising from 46.6% to 63.3% (p = 0.0454, two-tailed). The study also highlights the benefits of active learning, allowing students to experience real-world control system behavior and reflect on discrepancies between simulations and physical implementation. ARCHIE proves to be a valuable educational tool for fostering deeper comprehension of control systems in engineering curricula. © 2026 Saeteros, Mendoza, Ramirez, Fajardo-Pruna, Buele, Yumbla and Saldarriaga.
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    Advances in end-user water conservation technologies: a scoping review
    (Frontiers Media SA, 2026-04-15)
    Fernández-Vizcarra, Luis
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    Chambilla-Zuñiga, Josué
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    Gutiérrez-Aguilar, Olger
    ;
    Introduction Water scarcity, intensified by climate change, urbanization, and increasing demand, requires sustainable strategies aimed at reducing consumption among end users. In this context, this article develops a scoping review to examine what types of sustainable technologies aimed at water conservation among end users have been investigated, how they are evaluated, and what types of evidence are reported regarding their effectiveness. Methods Studies published between 2020 and 2025 were retrieved from the Scopus, Web of Science, IEEE Xplore, Wiley Online Library, and EBSCO Engineering Source databases following PRISMA-ScR guidelines. The review integrates a bibliometric analysis of the field and a synthesis of 14 selected empirical studies addressing domestic efficiency technologies, adoption dynamics, digital monitoring systems, and resource management approaches. Results The evidence shows high methodological diversity and limited standardization of effective metrics, as only a small proportion of studies explicitly report quantified or directly measured water savings. Nevertheless, consistent patterns emerge depending on the type of intervention. Circular water management and decentralized reuse strategies report the highest potential impacts, with potable water savings ≥30% through greywater treatment and reductions of up to 80% in integrated urban scenarios. Rainwater harvesting and green infrastructure report runoff reductions between 58.3 and 94.1%, generating indirect benefits for urban water management. In contrast, informational and behavioral interventions tend to produce moderate but consistent reductions in consumption. Digital technologies based on IoT, smart metering, and advanced analytics demonstrate strong technical performance in monitoring and leak detection, although they rarely quantify post-implementation water savings. Conclusion The findings suggest that effective water conservation among end users depends on approaches that combine technological solutions, user engagement, and standardized evaluation frameworks capable of linking technological performance with verifiable reductions in water consumption.
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    The illusion of flexibility and the limits of teacher autonomy in the Ecuadorian curriculum
    (Frontiers Media SA, 2026-05-21) ;
    Introduction Curriculum reforms in Latin America emphasize flexibility, contextualization, and teacher autonomy. In Ecuador, the 2016 curriculum operationalizes these through Skills with Performance Criteria (PC). Methods An analytical–interpretive approach was applied, examining the national curriculum alongside literature on educational governance and critical pedagogy. Results The PC-based structure, with its criteria and indicators, organizes planning, evaluation, and documentation around predefined outcomes. While this promotes coherence, it fragments practice into discrete units. Contextualization occurs in teaching, but validation relies on standardized references, creating tension between adaptation and assessment. Teacher work is structured by planning and verification processes. Discussion Interpreted as controlled freedom, autonomy is recognized but bounded, and flexibility emerges as a practice shaped by technical constraints.
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    Robotics in higher education and its impact on digital learning
    In recent years, robotics has transformed various industrial processes but has also influenced teaching methodologies. Although there are literature reviews on its application in professional training, many are outdated or lack a current focus on its impact in higher education. Addressing this gap, the present mini review examines the impact, challenges, and opportunities of this technology in the university setting. To this end, a search was conducted in the PubMed, Scopus, IEEE Xplore, APA PsycNet, and Web of Science databases, selecting 11 studies that addressed diverse applications of robotics, including educational robotics, robotic telepresence, human-robot interaction, and artificial intelligence applications. Their effects on teaching, the factors influencing their adoption, and the strategies used to optimize their implementation were analyzed. The findings show that educational robotics enhances student motivation and engagement, with prediction models reaching an accuracy of 98.78% in assessing academic engagement. Additionally, robotic telepresence emerges as an effective alternative for hybrid education, and social robots and AI-based tutors demonstrated their potential to personalize learning. However, methodological and structural challenges persist, such as the need to develop more accurate evaluation metrics and ensure accessibility and educational equity. Future research should focus on improving these aspects, enabling more efficient integration to enhance teaching processes. This study was registered in the Open Science Framework under the code: 10.17605/OSF.IO/KHDTU.
      57
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    User Experience in Virtual Reality (VR) Applications for Elderly People with Cognitive Impairment and Dementia: A Scoping Review
    (2024) ; ;
    Guillermo Palacios-Navarro
    Background: In recent years, Virtual Reality (VR) has emerged as a promising tool to improve the well-being and functional capabilities of older adults. Although VR applications have shown positive results, their impact on user experience and therapeutic outcomes still needs to be evaluated. Objective: This scoping review aims to analyze existing studies on VR use in older adults with neurodegenerative disorders, focusing on the factors that influence usability, satisfaction, and immersion, as well as the effects on emotional and cognitive well-being. Materials and Methods: Empirical studies in English were included on VR applications applied to older adults with cognitive impairment without study design restrictions. The search was conducted in IEEE Xplore, PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science, identifying a total of 650 initial results. After screening, 14 studies met the inclusion criteria. Results: Immersive VR tends to generate a greater sense of presence, which contributes to improving emotional well-being and reducing neuropsychiatric symptoms, such as apathy and depression. However, its impact on cognitive functions, including memory and executive skills, varied depending on the level of immersion and participant characteristics. Despite these positive findings, significant heterogeneity was evident in study designs, measurement instruments, and user experience indicators. Conclusion: Virtual environments have great potential as a therapeutic tool for older adults, but their success depends on the personalization of applications and the adaptation of technology to the specific needs of this population. Future research should focus on developing standardized protocols, incorporating adaptive technologies such as artificial intelligence, and evaluating the long-term effects of VR to maximize its benefits and minimize its risks. This review was registered in Open Science Framework (OSF). Registration Number: 10.17605/OSF.IO/PNU36
      35
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    Energy Transition in Industry as a Viable Path to Sustainable Decarbonization
    (2025)
    Humberto Murillo-Jiménez
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    Marco Centeno-Alarcón
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    The industrial sector, responsible for a substantial share of global greenhouse gas emissions, faces the dual challenge of advancing decarbonization while ensuring long-term competitiveness. Addressing this dilemma requires a transition toward renewable energy sources that not only reduce emissions but also enhance energy security and compliance with increasingly stringent climate regulations. This study examines the integration of renewable energy technologies into industrial processes, highlighting both opportunities and persistent barriers. On the benefits side, renewable adoption has the potential to deliver significant emission reductions, strengthen energy independence, and improve corporate reputation through alignment with sustainability targets. Nevertheless, limitations such as high initial investment costs, intermittency of supply, technological uncertainty, and unstable regulatory frameworks continue to hinder large-scale deployment. Emerging digital technologies, including machine learning for predictive maintenance and blockchain for energy traceability, are identified as enabling tools that improve efficiency, transparency, and integration across supply chains. By employing a narrative review methodology, this analysis synthesizes documented case studies and verifiable performance metrics to provide a structured view of current practices. Findings demonstrate that sector-specific renewable integration, such as solar thermal in manufacturing or green hydrogen in heavy industries is both technically feasible and economically viable under favorable conditions, yielding measurable reductions in carbon intensity. However, success depends on designing tailored strategies that consider local resource availability, fostering stable policy frameworks that reduce investment risk, and promoting cross-sector collaboration. Ultimately, a context-sensitive and adaptive approach emerges as essential to scaling industrial decarbonization without undermining competitiveness, ensuring that sustainability and productivity evolve in tandem.
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    An assessment of a ROS class using an educational mobile robot
    The Robot Operating System (ROS) is a middleware that standardizes robot programming, both in simulation and with real equipment. Despite this open-source tool being available for several years, there's still a need to enhance its utilization in robotics education across all educational levels. In this study, a ROS class is assessed among university students using a commercial educational robot. The primary objective is to measure academic emotions in learning and student performance to determine the impact of the class using the open-access tool from a GitHub repository (https://github.com/joseVarelaAldas/ROS-Crowbot). This tool is based on the rosserial package, compatible with the ESP32 board. For class, CrowBot robots connected to the local wireless network via WiFi are used. TThe participants in this study were eight students from an electronics degree program at a higher education institution, who had no prior experience with ROS and received practical training using the educational mobile robot. For data collection on class performance, three parameters are assessed: execution time, functionality, and motivation, and to measure academic emotions, a validated self-report instrument is used. The results show an overall performance of 82.1%, and in the self-report on academic emotions, a high score in enjoyment (95%) and the lowest score in boredom (24.1 %) were obtained. In conclusion, the repository provides an interesting, practical, and accessible tool for an introduction into the world of robotics using ROS.
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    Augmented Reality Application with Multimedia Content to Support Primary Education
    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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    Virtual reality applications based on instrumental activities of daily living (iADLs) for cognitive intervention in older adults: a systematic review
    (2023) ;
    Varela-Aldás J.L.
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    Palacios-Navarro G.
    Background: In recent years, the use of virtual reality (VR) as a complementary intervention in treating cognitive impairment has significantly increased. VR applications based on instrumental activities of daily living (iADL-VR) could offer a promising approach with greater ecological validity for intervention in groups with cognitive impairments. However, the effectiveness of this approach is still debated. Objective: This systematic review aims to synthesize the effects of iADL-VR interventions to rehabilitate, train, or stimulate cognitive functions in healthy adults and people with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and different types of dementia. Methods: A systematic search was performed in the Scopus, PubMed, IEEE Xplore, Web of Science, and APA PsycNet databases until September 2022 and repeated in April 2023. The selected studies met the search terms, were peer-reviewed, included an iADL-VR intervention, and were written in English. Descriptive, qualitative studies, reviews, cognitive assessment, non-intervention studies, those unrelated to VR or iADL, those focused on motor aspects, and non-degenerative disorders were excluded. The PEDro scale was used to assess the methodological quality of the controlled studies. To present and synthesize the results, we organized the extracted data into three tables, including PEDro scores, participant characteristics, and study characteristics. Results: Nineteen studies that met the inclusion and exclusion criteria were included. The total sample reached 590 participants, mostly women (72.67%). Approximately 30% were diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease or dementia, and 20% had mild cognitive impairment. Variables such as authors and year of publication, study design, type of intervention and VR applied, duration of the intervention, main findings, and conclusions were extracted. Regarding demographic characteristics, the sample size, age, sex, years of education, neurological diagnosis, dropouts, and the city and country where the intervention took place were recorded. Almost all studies showed improvements in some or all the outcomes after the intervention, generally greater in the iADL-VR group than in the control group. Conclusion: iADL-VR interventions could be beneficial in improving the performance of cognitive functions in older adults and people with MCI and different types of dementia. The ecological component of these tasks makes them very suitable for transferring what has been learned to the real world. However, such transfer needs to be confirmed by further studies with larger and more homogeneous samples and longer follow-up periods. This review had no primary funding source and was registered with PROSPERO under registration ID: 375166. © 2023, The Author(s).
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    Development of a WBGT Index Meter Based on M5Stack Core2
    (2022) ; ;
    Mosquera H.
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    Palacios-Navarro G.
    Environmental working conditions are of crucial importance for job performance. Thus, thermal comfort helps the human body to withstand long working hours without stress. There are several indicators of heat stress, but one of the most complete is the WBGT (Wet Bulb Globe Temperature) index, which considers 3 temperatures to determine the heat stress index, the dry bulb temperature, the wet-bulb temperature, and the temperature of radiation. For this reason, this document describes the process of building a low-cost heat stress meter. Two DHT22 sensors and M5Stack Core2 controller are used that includes a screen for the presentation of the information. The user interface includes buttons for changing the view type to show indoor or outdoor results, as well as the battery level. In addition, all this information is sent to the IoT platform of ThingSpeak through internet access using WiFi communication, this information can be displayed graphically from a web browser and from anywhere in the world. The data are compared with a commercial meter to validate this prototype, obtaining an error of less than 5% and no significant differences were found. In this way, it is possible to offer equipment for industrial solutions, but at a fraction of its cost. © 2022, Springer Nature Switzerland AG.
    Scopus© Citations 2  15