F1TENTH RoboRacer

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Our AIROS (Artificial Intelligence and Robotics Society - ESPOL) teams achieved a historic victory, securing both 1st and 2nd PLACE at the competitive RoboRacer Ecuador. 🥇🥈

This challenge is based on the international F1TENTH platform: 1:10 scale autonomous vehicles designed and programmed to race on a track at top speed without human intervention.

Tech Stack and Implementation

This double podium is the result of the deep application of autonomous navigation algorithms in ROS/ROS2:

• Perception and Mapping: Use of SLAM algorithms to build precise track maps using LiDAR.
• Localization: Implementation of Particle Filters to estimate the exact position on the track in real-time.
• Path Planning: Optimization of Racelines to minimize lap times.
• Control: Design of high-precision controllers, such as the Pure Pursuit (RPP) algorithm, for high-speed path tracking.

The Winning Teams

We extend special thanks to our advisor, Ph.D. Nabih Pico, for his vision in driving this competition in the country, and to the Catholic University of Santiago de Guayaquil for organizing the event.

• Context: RoboRacer Ecuador Competition
• Date: October 17
• Category: Project

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ESPOL Novatada

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On Friday, September 26, 2025, we were present at the ESPOL Novatada, the event that brings together all the university clubs to introduce themselves to the new polytechnic students.

🚀 From AIROS, we shared our passion for robotics, mechatronics, and technological innovation, showing first-semester students what it means to be part of a community that builds, learns, and experiments.

🙌 We loved seeing so much interest, curiosity, and motivation in those who approached our stand, learned about our projects, and decided to take the first step to become part of this great family.

💡 The Novatada was not only an opportunity to show who we are but also to inspire future members to develop their potential, live new experiences, and work as a team in an environment of creativity and constant learning.

💙 Thanks to everyone who stopped by to say hello. This is just the beginning of a path full of achievements that we will build together!

• Context: ESPOL Clubs Fair
• Date: September 26, 2025
• Category: Event

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Basic ROS Tools

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On June 13, the club president, José Santos, gave a fundamental workshop on the basic tools of ROS (Robot Operating System).

The main objective of the session was to train members in the use of this middleware, given that all the club's innovation projects work under this industry-standard framework.

💻 Workshop Key Points:

• Fundamentals: Understanding the Nodes and Topics architecture.
• CLI Tools: Essential commands for monitoring and debugging.
• Standardization: Why AIROS uses ROS as the core for hardware and software integration.

An indispensable training to start in our development teams. 🤖

• Context: Instructor: Ing. José Santos (Ex-President)
• Date: June 13, 2025
• Category: Workshop

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Monitoring and Teleoperation

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From @airosespol, we proudly share the participation of Ph.D. Nabih Pico, together with Winter Delgado and León Vargas, in a high-level technical talk organized jointly with @ieee.ups.quito.ras. 🎓🤝

During the session, key strategies for addressing failures in autonomous navigation systems were explored, highlighting the importance of remote monitoring and real-time human intervention.

Extensive tests were presented using both ROS 1 and ROS 2, Gazebo (Classic & Fortress) simulators, and deployment on real robots like the TurtleBot 3.

🔍 Featured Topics:

• Latency: Technical performance comparison between ROS 1 vs ROS 2.
• Interfaces: Real-time teleoperation via web and mobile Apps developed in Flutter.
• Synchronization: Communication challenges between PC, TurtleBot, and control interfaces.
• Data Transmission: Impact of message loss (especially video) on remote operation.
• Sensors and Control: Evaluation of LiDAR, RGB camera, odometry, and control via keyboard/joystick.

🚀 We continue advancing in collaborative and intelligent robotics! Thanks to everyone for attending.

• Context: AIROS & IEEE UPS RAS Collaboration
• Date: June 4, 2025
• Category: Workshop

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Artificial Muscles

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🎤🤖 On December 2, 2024, AIROS organized an incredible talk for ESPOL students, presented by the distinguished Ph.D. Altair Coutinho.

In this keynote lecture, valuable insights on artificial muscles applied to robotics were explored, analyzing the evolution of actuators used in modern robotic systems.

💡 Key Topics Discussed:

• Active Polymers: Analysis of polymer-based artificial muscles and their real-world performance in robots.
• Hyper-VAM Technology: In-depth advances in the Hyperbaric Vacuum-based Artificial Muscle.
• Environmental Optimization: How to adapt these systems to function in diverse conditions.
• Actuator Physics: Studies on the speed-force relationship in these new materials.

It was a very enriching session where students were able to delve into emerging technologies that are transforming Soft Robotics.

✨ Thanks to everyone who participated and attended!

• Context: ESPOL
• Date: December 2, 2024
• Category: Workshop

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Visit to COPOL

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📚🤖 On October 4, 2024, the AIROS club visited the COPOL school in Guayaquil to conduct an educational session and showcase the club's technological developments.

Ph.D. Nabih Pico opened the day by highlighting the importance of robotics in today's world. Following his introduction, our talented members presented their prototypes:

• Ángel Espín: Presented his innovative robot capable of climbing stairs, demonstrating how mechanics can overcome environmental obstacles.
• Giovanny Mite: Demonstrated a teleoperation robot controlled via a video game controller, showcasing remote control capabilities.
• Maykoll Vanegas: Exhibited his work on Computer Vision for person identification and tracking, highlighting its applications in security.

To conclude, Anthony Carrillo shared an inspiring message, encouraging students to get involved in the fascinating world of engineering.

🌟 It was a great moment to share knowledge. We are excited about the new minds that will join the field of robotics!

• Context: COPOL Educational Unit
• Date: October 4, 2024
• Category: Event

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