Arias Flores, Hugo Patricio
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Arias Flores, Hugo Patricio
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Quito
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hugoarias@uti.edu.ec
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57210802646

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Applying Usability Engineering in Educational Video Games. Case Study: Learning English for Spanish-Speaking Children Aged 6 to 8 Years

2025 , Tania Calle-Jimenez , Arias Flores, Hugo Patricio , Maria-Elena Cruz-Artieda , Sandra Sanchez-Gordon

The English Proficiency Index results from 2024 show that the Spanish-speaking population has limited English proficiency. This deficiency has an impact on the population's academic training, as well as on job opportunities. Promoting early English language learning in Spanish-speaking children is essential to ensure comprehensive development at this crucial stage. The methodology proposed in this study focuses on creating an attractive and friendly user experience using design principles based on usability engineering to maximize learning effectiveness. This research aims to solve the problem related to information retention and friendly interaction for Spanish-speaking children aged six to eight years with an educational video game for learning English. The application aims to promote English learning from an early age, taking advantage of children's innate abilities to absorb a language effectively during this development phase. In this research work, an educational video game was designed to ensure that it is usable at all stages of development, from requirements specification to design, coding, and usability testing. Additionally, usability tests were conducted to evaluate the interface and the level of information retention. The results show that the video game developed using the proposed methodology complies with the usability principles.

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Kiteracy-PiFo: Technological Tool for Teaching the Rules of Grapheme-Phoneme Correspondence

2025 , María de los Ángeles Carpio-Brenes , Jadán Guerrero, Janio , Arias Flores, Hugo Patricio , Valencia-Aragón, Kevin

This study presents Kiteracy-PiFo, a technological tool designed to teach grapheme-phoneme correspondence to preschool students. Combining computer engineering and special education, the tool was developed to enhance Human-Computer Interaction in early literacy education. Despite challenges, including unforeseen events and technical issues, the tool was successfully implemented across schools in Cartago, Costa Rica. Statistical analysis revealed significant differences in vowel recognition between the experimental group using Kiteracy-PiFo and the control group using traditional methods, with the experimental group achieving higher results in less time. These findings suggest that integrating innovative technologies like Kiteracy-PiFo into educational practices can effectively accelerate learning in early childhood settings. However, successful implementation depends on strong pedagogical support and alignment with psychological principles to meet students’ cognitive and emotional needs.

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Providing Access to Educational TV for Children Using RFID Technology

2022 , Zapata-Rodríguez M. , Álvarez-Tello J. , Arias Flores, Hugo Patricio

Television is a communication medium found in most homes, facilitating accessibility to educational content through the reading-learning process. This paper presents a control system for educational television that allows the selection and playback of pre-recorded videos in a television decoder using RFID tags. This has been designed based on a controller that allows replacing the commands sent by a conventional remote control. To meet this educational objective, a prototype is developed from the mechanical, electronic and computer concept, to integrate a technological proposal that facilitates reading-learning, through a televised program and satellite transmission, integrating an instrument of personalized pedagogical assistance to an Ecuadorian spectacled bear for the assistance of children of a young age or with any type of disability that prevents them from handling a remote control. As a result, we obtained the experimental development of a basic prototype for learning-reading that works with connection to satellite equipment and activates the components for learning through television by means of an RFDI system. A unique tag is used for each pre-recorded program. When the RFID reader reads a tag that has been previously assigned, the TV module will transmit the sequence of signals needed to the TV decoder to play the specific movie or report. © 2022, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.

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Technology in Favor of Disability: Prevalence Study in Ecuador

2021 , Arias Flores, Hugo Patricio , Acosta-Rodas P. , Jadán Guerrero, Janio , Ramos Galarza, Carlos

People with disabilities and special needs are very important part of the society, their needs have not been covered over time. Globalization and technological development helped identify the importance of various groups with disabilities. In Ecuador, this identification allows this social group to be visible and particularly people with visual disabilities, who represent approximately 11% of the population with disabilities. The objective of this research is to identify Ecuador’s cities that maintain a higher prevalence of people with disabilities. To comply with the study, a descriptive analysis was conducted from public information about people registered by the authorized government control body. Obtaining this information makes it possible to establish a baseline of attention with real data, which allows getting a greater focus on the development of this social group and the attention they should receive. © 2021, The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.

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Optimizing Agriculture with LoRaWAN and HCI: A Smart Approach to Sustainable Farming

2025 , Valencia-Aragón, Kevin , Zapata, Mireya , Cristopher Toapanta , Arias Flores, Hugo Patricio

Modern agriculture faces challenges including water scarcity, excessive fertilizer use, and limited connectivity in rural areas, all exacerbated by climate change. This paper presents a smart agriculture system leveraging LoRaWAN technology and human-computer interfaces (HCI) to address these issues. The proposed system integrates low-cost sensors, a LoRaWAN-based network, and a user-friendly dashboard for real-time monitoring of critical variables such as soil moisture, ambient humidity and temperature. A proof-of-concept implementation demonstrates the system’s effectiveness in optimizing water and fertilizer use while maintaining scalability for large agricultural operations. The system operates reliably within rural environments without relying on traditional internet infrastructure, offering an affordable and sustainable solution. Field tests validate the system’s performance, highlighting its potential to enhance decision-making and resource efficiency in floriculture and beyond. Future work aims to expand the system’s capabilities with additional sensors, artificial intelligence for predictive analytics, and automated control mechanisms, further supporting sustainable farming practices

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Analysis of the Spread and Evolution of COVID-19 Mutations in Ecuador Using Open Data

2024 , Guevara Maldonado, César Byron , Dennys Coronel , Byron Salazar , Jorge Salazar , Arias Flores, Hugo Patricio

Currently, the analyses of and prediction using COVID-19-related data extracted from patient information repositories compiled by hospitals and health organizations are of paramount importance. These efforts significantly contribute to vaccine development and the formulation of contingency techniques, providing essential tools to prevent resurgence and to effectively manage the spread of the disease. In this context, the present research focuses on analyzing the biological information of the SARS-CoV-2 viral gene sequences and the clinical data of COVID-19-affected patients using publicly accessible data from Ecuador. This involves considering variables such as age, gender, and geographical location to understand the evolution of mutations and their distributions across Ecuadorian provinces. The Cross-Industry Standard Process for Data Mining (CRISP-DM) methodology is applied for data analysis. Various data preprocessing and statistical analysis techniques are employed, including Pearson correlation, the chi-square test, and analysis of variance (ANOVA). Statistical diagrams and charts are used to facilitate a better visualization of the results. The results illuminate the genetic diversity of the virus and its correlation with clinical variables, offering a comprehensive understanding of the dynamics of COVID-19 spread in Ecuador. Critical variables influencing population vulnerability are highlighted, and the findings underscore the significance of mutation monitoring and indicate a need for global expansion of the research area.

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Technological Project Management Proposal for Designing a Social Robot

2023 , Zapata M. , Alvarez-Tello J. , Arias Flores, Hugo Patricio

Introduction: Social robotics is integrated into everyday activities, addressing social interactions with diverse groups of people. Therefore, the development of Autonomous Social Robot for Ecuadorian Universities (ASREU), an evolutionary social robotic platform in hardware and software that allows the exploratory research of social, technological, and energetic variables for the generation of social robotics prototypes. Method: To improve the management of the project, the structures for the development of technological projects are analyzed from the administrative management of the project, as well as the execution and technological implementation of the Results: A diagram is obtained to identify the interaction of technical, engineering and scientific working groups and the interaction with the project management, as well as a roadmap for the development of technological products defining the systems, the type of prototyping and the intellectual property protection, in addition to the circular strategy for the integration from and for society in the area of social robotics and the identification with the evolution of the prototype with the corresponding intellectual property protection for feasible results to Conclusion: Currently the development of technological projects lead mostly software developments in social robotics, when integrated with physical systems (mechanical, electrical and electronic), there is planning from traditional environments and agile environments, which need a coexistence to jump from one to another environment. Finally, guidelines and tools have been developed to facilitate the management and design of social robots, in the case of ASREU, a 6 DoF and autonomous mobile robot (AMR). © 2023, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.

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Artificial Intelligence and Assistive Technologies: A Systematic Review of Educational Applications for Disabilities

2025 , Arias Flores, Hugo Patricio , Valencia-Aragón, Kevin , Tania Calle-Jimenez , Sandra Sanchez-Gordon

The global population of individuals with disabilities, representing 15% of the world’s people, faces significant challenges in accessing higher education due to insufficient accessibility and persistent discrimination. This paper aims to evaluate the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) and assistive technologies in higher education to improve learning experiences for students with disabilities. Despite advancements in AI, only a small proportion of students with disabilities report satisfaction with existing inclusion efforts. Through a systematic review of the scientific literature from 2019 to 2023, this study examines the current use of AI in higher education, focusing on its application to enhance accessibility, personalized learning, and support for students with disabilities. The research highlights key areas such as intelligent tutoring systems, adaptive learning, and the role of educational technologies in fostering inclusion. While AI and assistive technologies hold great potential, challenges including ethical concerns, biases, and the low adoption rate of assistive technologies remain. The findings emphasize the need for further research to ensure that AI fosters genuine inclusion rather than exacerbating exclusion, urging continued efforts in developing more accessible educational environments for all students.

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Analysis of the Level of Accessibility of Scientific Online Conferences for Blind Participants

2021 , Arias Flores, Hugo Patricio , Sanchez-Gordon S. , Calle-Jimenez T.

The change generated by the virtualization of activities due to the COVID-19 pandemic has transformed the way people participate in countless activities. Scientific conferences, like many other events, were forced by the circumstances to change from face-to-face to online overnight. The goal of this study is to identify the accessibility barriers that the platforms used by scientific online conferences pose for blind participants. The research methodology used was experiential introspection complemented by automated testing. Exploratory tests were conducted by a blind researcher using the JAWS screen reader. Besides, the accessibility evaluation tool WAVE was used to identify non-conformances with the web content accessibility guidelines WCAG. As a result, it was found in some cases a null level of accessibility and, in other cases, complexity was detected in the access to activities. As for no conformances with WCAG, two of the most prominent were empty links and the absence of headings for efficient screen reader navigation. The automated tool showed errors and alerts that need to be fixed in the teleconferencing platforms evaluated. It is presumed that, unfortunately, the moderately or even basic concepts for the participation of users with visual disabilities and blind are not being considered in the platforms used to host virtual scientific conferences. © 2021, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.

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Long-Distance Relationships: Use of Technology Advances in Communication, Idealization and Satisfaction

2021 , Acosta-Rodas P. , Arias Flores, Hugo Patricio , Ramos Galarza, Carlos

Long distance romantic relationships are becoming more and more common nowadays. There can be various concrete reasons that are the causes for this occurrence, among the most common, the pursuit of career opportunities, educational goals, military service, and migratory issues. The aim of this study is answering the question: how is possible to maintain this kind of relationship? This is explained from two variables: the first one refers to the technology advances which help the communication and the second one studied from the psychological periscope, the romantic idealization. It is approach the perception of this new type of relationships in the general population. Understanding technology influences in human life could help to develop more technological advances to the people to feel closer and to keep healthy relationships with themselves and the others, as well, it could bring lights to counseling and psychological therapy. © 2021, The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.

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