Developed by Thomasian engineers and researchers, the robots first garnered attention in April 2020 for aiding frontliners with physically distanced communication between a COVID-19 patient and the medical staff.

Equipped with a smart tablet mounted on a mobile base that can be controlled remotely from five to ten meters away, LISA enables communication via internet-based platforms. It also had a compartment box that allowed the delivery of medicines and documents and provided a helping hand in disinfection.

“Itong bagong version ng (LISA) robot, gumagamit kami ng tinatawag na simultaneous localization and mapping, wherein gumagamit kami ng LIDAR sensor para ma-map ng robot ang facility, and then ise-save niya sa memory niya iyon. With that concept, makakapag-navigate ang robot.” Project leader Assoc. Prof. Anthony James C. Bautista, PhD, PME, MBA said in the interview.

In 2021, the LISA robot was developed and enhanced through funding by the Department of Science and Technology – Philippine Council for Health Research and Development (DOST-PCHRD).

Bautista is a researcher in the Research Center for the Natural and Applied Sciences and a faculty member of the Department of Mechanical Engineering. The LISA robot team is composed of Engr. Ma. Madecheen Pangaliman, M.Sc. of ECE department, Ms. Alma Perol, MIT of CICS (College of Information and Computing Sciences) with research assistants Mr. Sherwin Dignadice, Kendall Felicilda, Thaynnie Princes Enclonar, John Raven Red, Jose Gamaliel Gutierrez and Thomasian co-inventor, from Pasig Doctors Medical Center, Rodrigo Calalang Santos, MD. Special thanks to Dr. Antonio Etrata and Ms. Izza Arnaez of UST marketing department and Mr. Frederico Mendoza of UST industrial design department.

Watch the segment here:

The post UST-engineered telepresence robot ‘LISA’ Robot is featured in 24 Oras appeared first on University of Santo Tomas.

The inter-university league comprised 19 teams from five universities, namely, Batangas State University (BSU), De La Salle University (DLSU), Mapua University, University of the Philippines (UP), and University of Santo Tomas (UST).

The contest proper had an elimination round where the top three scorers will be drawn to proceed to the final round where winners will be concluded.

Two teams represented the University. The runner-up, veloECEty, was composed of Aryzza Antonette Aperocho, the team captain, Kristan Ruiz, and John Earl Patrick Sandoval with Engr. Ma. Madecheen S. Pangaliman, MSc as their coach; whereas, the other team, Tisla Rudester, consisted of Gian Angelo Calumpang, Alec Mendoza, and Cherline Anne Perez and was led by Engr. Gabriel Rodnei M. Geslani, MSc.

The veloECEty attained a total time lap of 15.460 seconds in the final round, placing them in the third spot, while Turing Racing of UP Diliman and Cardinal Dynamics of MAPUA University finished first, with 13.009 seconds, and second with 13.884 seconds, respectively. The car models used were replaced in each round and random tracks were used per race.

When asked about the process of building the prototype, Aperocho stated that each member thought of a strategy which is to design a reward function and test every code they have created to determine which model will yield the fastest time lap while still being stable.

“What challenged the team the most was that we were only given a week for the prototyping and testing of our models before the contest. As students who were new to Machine Learning (ML), we struggled with designing a competitive model due to the short amount of time given,” she added.

Moreover, she hopes that this achievement inspires the Thomasians to grab learning opportunities such as workshops and competitions as one can gain valuable experiences and new skills that are beneficial in the long run.

“Once we become successful Thomasian graduates, we could use [these] skills and knowledge in technological areas, such as machine learning, to develop innovative projects beneficial to societal progress,” she highlighted.

The said event is an autonomous racing league that equips self-driving robotic cars with ML for track racing. Prior to the competition, participants attended a workshop where they received hands-on learning.

The post 1st Globe & AWS DeepRacer League: veloECEty fast-tracks to 2nd Runner-Up appeared first on University of Santo Tomas.

The organizers conducted the program in Siniloan, Laguna, where 50 Thomasian academic staff and their families attended, five of which came from the UST Faculty of Engineering (FoE). These faculty members were Engr. Rajiv Eldon E. Abdullah, M.Eng., Asst. Prof. Dolores S.D. Cleofas, Ph.D., ASEAN Engr., Engr. Maria Victoria Viray, Engr. Shikara P. Poblete M.Sc, and Engr. Ma. Madecheen S. Pangaliman, M.Sc.

Mr. Chot Velasquez, President of Aksyon Kalikasan, led the discussions in the program which focused on the significance and current condition of Sierra Madre, the message of Laudato Si, as well as the Republic Act 10176, or the Arbor Day Act of 2012, which mandates all able-bodied citizens from the age of 12 to plant one tree every year.

“I think ‘yun ‘yung pinakamagandang takeaway namin eh, ‘yung bagong knowledge na natutunan namin. Hindi lang kami nag-tree planting, we also learned ‘yung relevance ng ginawa namin,” Dr. Cleofas shared in an interview in reference to this mandate.

Aligned with the message of the speaker, Dr. Cleofas also encourages fellow staff members and students of the university to be aware of the environment and do their part in saving the Sierra Madre.

“Right after the storm, parang puring-puri natin ‘yung Sierra Madre pero we are not doing anything, so sana lahat, put your words into action,” she said in her final statements in the interview.
The program is part of the “One Million Trees for Sierra Madre Mountain Range” project.

The Sierra Madre is the longest mountain range in the country, stretching from the province of Cagayan to the province of Quezon, and bordered by Calabarzon to the southwest.

Written by: Kateleen A. Vicente
Photo courtesy of Engr. Ma. Madecheen S. Pangaliman, M.Sc

The post Eng’g, Simbahayan holds tree-planting program appeared first on University of Santo Tomas.