On 4 October, the fifth edition of “Personatges en Joc” (Prominent Figures in a Game) was presented. This is a multimedia educational collection aimed at fifth and sixth year primary students (10-12 years). This year, it looks at the siege of Barcelona in 1714, through the figure of Francesc de Castellví, a Catalan historian and soldier. The project was led by PhD. Luis Solano from the Computer Graphics area of the Biomedical Engineering Research Centre (CREB UPC) and from the ETSEIB, and PhD. José Luis Eguia from the Department of Engineering Design in the UPC, in collaboration with the Government of Catalonia's Secretariat for Universities and Research, which coordinated the project.

Motion Control and Industrial Applications (MCIA UPC) is developing a new high-performance electric vehicle, which dispenses with the traditional mechanical train, and works with a motor in each wheel and fault-tolerant technology, allowing it to be driven to a garage when the car has a fault in one phase of the motor or in the electronic converter that controls it. The car achieves electrical and electronic integration of all the elements needed for electric traction in a compact, low cost and very efficient power plant. The vehicle will be manufactured by TC Technologies, a Mexican company, in 2015. Participants in the project include the Centre for Industrial Technological Development (CDTI), the Benemérita Universidad de Puebla (BUAP-Mexico), the Mexican National Council of Science and Technology (CONACYT) and the Spanish subsidiary of Infranor, a Swiss multinational company, among others.

The Centre for Sensors, Instruments and Systems Development (CD6 UPC)  has participated, in collaboration with CTM, in the development of a new laser ultrasonics (LUS) technique to generate ultrasound in metal materials using a source of laser radiation. The waves are propagated inside the material and reflected by internal flaws or changes in the medium. These waves reappear on the surface of the material, where they can be measured using interferometry techniques. The great advantage of this technology is that it does not require contact between the device and the material under analysis. This means that we can characterize materials with complex geometries, elements situated in aggressive environments, materials at high temperatures, elements in movement, and even elements situated several metres away. This is a non-destructive technique that can be easily incorporated into a production line. Applications have been developed for companies such as Tecnatom SA, which maintains nuclear power plants.

Andreu Mas-Colell, the Government of Catalonia’s Minister of Economics and Knowledge, visited the company Specific Pig, which is specialised in biomedical research in the pig model. Currently, this company is validating an innovative surgical robot called the Bitrack System, which was designed jointly by the Robotics research group of the Biomedical Engineering Research Centre (CREB UPC) and the Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC). The system, which is now promoted by Rob Surgical System, a spin-off of CREB UPC and IBEC, offers several improvements on current robotic laparoscopic surgery in terms of its flexibility and modularity, the set-up time and the cost. The project is in the process of obtaining the CE mark and also involves the development of high-precision surgical instruments. Dr. Javier Magrinyà, from Mayo Clinic (USA), has joined the project as medical director.

CIT UPC has published its Annual Report 2013 to account for its activities. The dynamic, interactive report presents the most relevant information on institutional activities, the main indicators, and some of the Member Center’s outstanding projects during the year.
 

The annual meeting of the CIT UPC Scientific Advisory Board, a consultative body comprised of all the Member Centers’ directors, was held on 14 October. Results were presented during the sessions, with a particular focus on the CIT UPC’s scientific and technological activity. In addition, the Technology Center’s new activities were assessed to bring them into line with global trends, and centre them on meeting new challenges effectively.

CIT UPC took part in the Action Clusters Kick-off Conference that was held in Brussels on 9 October. The conference was aimed at all agents involved in the European Innovation Partnership on Smart Cities and Communities. The aim was to present six new Action Clusters, the new Market-Place Online and proposals for collaboration, to create European collaborative projects within the framework of Smart Cities. CIT UPC presented two commitments of inLab FIB UPC. The first was related to mobility issues; the second was on software to simulate energy consumption in buildings.

The UPC Technology Center took part in ICT Proposers' Day in Florence on 9-10 October. The event, whose aim was to promote European research and development in ICT, was focused on the Horizon 2020 Work Programme. It offered informative and networking sessions based on the programme's topics, and provided spaces for informal meetings between participants.