The UNR Technological Experimentation Laboratory was created for the use of tools such as augmented reality, virtual reality, digital manufacturing and artificial intelligence.

The platform, which was created two years ago, conceives access to technologies as a way to expand rights and has already promoted various pedagogical materials, products and innovative experiences. Although it is based in the University City, it is intended as a mobile device that can circulate in faculties, schools or social organizations.

The way this Laboratory works begins with an identification of the interests that motivate the group and prior knowledge about the technological dimension. It continues with a joint curation of applications, developments and related content. And finally, it proposes an in-person experimentation workshop in a rotation system through thematic posts, in which collective reflection on these technologies is promoted.

Experiences

Last year the Laboratory worked with the “Technology for tourism innovation” Chair of the Bachelor of Tourism. The interest was in the visit of virtual museums, Instagram filters for the sale of tourist packages and the production of pedagogical materials with immersive interfaces.

The experimentation was organized by stations: while one group was in a space testing the GPT chat, generating images or performing data mining with artificial intelligence, another group tested the virtual reality headsets, 360° or immersive experiences. And others were working in augmented reality and printing physical materials that display an additional layer of information. All the participants circulated through the different posts. Finally, a space for critical reflection on these tools was opened.

The Laboratory also worked with a group of Graphic Design teachers where the curation of the content was design-oriented using artificial intelligence. “It is difficult for a department or a school to incorporate technological resources, which is why we believe that this device should be available to the community,” says one of its coordinators, Andrea Mansilla. The idea is that it not only remains in the academic field but that it extends to other organizations in society.

An example is that of the team from the “Sur Producadora” Cooperative in the Las Flores neighborhood who contacted each other to enhance the work they had already been doing. And finally they incorporated several resources: a QR in the magazine they produce, a tool so that a photo can generate an animation and filters to have greater traffic on social networks.

Productions

Likewise, the Laboratory carried out some productions, such as the Chair of Soil Science in Agricultural Engineering. At the Faculty of Zavalla, it has a pit that is a well to analyze how soils behave in the face of natural environments and human intervention.

The teachers had the complexity that if it rained, the evolutionary issue of the soil could not be clearly seen and observation with a large group of students was also complicated. Then an immersive experience called “360 Floors” was created that allows you to have a 360° video of the place.

The interesting thing is that it has an aggregate of information through design, images and sounds that explain what is being seen, such as, for example, the microorganisms present in each layer, the subtle color differences of the earth that at first glance they are not visible. “This can function as pedagogical material before or after the in-person visit to the well,” explains Mansilla.

It should be noted that this project began to be developed with the capabilities of the Soil Science Department, the UNR Multimedia Communication Directorate and the Laboratory. But then, two companies financed the purchase of the devices and the final development of the project. “To think that the productive network is willing to collaborate with pedagogical materials has potential beyond the University, it is a virtuous experience,” reflects the researcher.

Another production of the Laboratory was “UNR 360” carried out together with the Directorate of Science Communication and the Directorate of Multimedia Communication, which proposes an immersive experience in the academy. It is a video that shows different spaces of the Faculties but that provokes a feeling of immersion. To achieve this, helmets are used that are an interface between the real and virtual scenarios. “The user puts on the glasses and headphones and feels that he is inside what he is seeing. Unlike classic audiovisual narrative, here he can decide where to look on the horizontal axis and on the vertical axis,” he explains.

The Laboratory team also organized reflection sessions at the UNR Pre-University School of Social Sciences. There they carried out several exercises to think critically about new technologies. They invited the students to type “women cannot” and then “men cannot” into Google. They observed that the algorithm shows very different things depending on the word “woman” or “man.” This led to analyzing what an algorithm is, who trains it, and people's bias.

A second proposal consisted of asking students to name a person linked to the world of technology. Many said Elon Musk or Mark Zuckerberg, but when it was requested that she be a woman, they couldn't name any of them, although they could name her role. The striking thing is that no one can mention a Latin American woman related to technology.

The Technological Experimentation Laboratory depends on the Technological Linkage Directorate and is part of the institutional project outlined by the UNR 2030 Agenda. This proposes to position the university as an innovation platform, which can provide contributions to a complex range of social and economic challenges. and environmental issues that pose the fourth industrial revolution. Among their main missions, university institutions have to train, research and coordinate with territorial actors for the valorization of the knowledge produced. The generation of this Laboratory connects with these three functions.

The Laboratory team is made up of Marisol González, Nahuel Martínez, Valentina Indorado, Damaris González, Iñaki Sola and Andrea Mansilla. Contact: let.unr.rosario@gmail.com

Journalist: Victoria Arrabal