Lima, July 1, 2019.- Five students of the Pontifical Catholic University of Peru (PUCP) designed an automatic alert system to avoid accidents in underground mines. The project, called DTech, consists of an integrated automatic ventilation system controlled by air quality sensors and alert when facing critical events, such as landslides.
With this initiative, the young Karlo Verde, Héctor Aguirre, Ángel Hernández, Luis Vargas and Cristhian Jacinto, from the PUCP School of Engineering, won the 5th Hackathon 2019 “Together towards innovation from the energy mining sector” event organized as part of the activities to PERUMIN, which brought together more than 160 students and young professionals from various universities in the country, grouped into 40 teams.
“What we do is use a distributed system of devices that are located along the network of tunnels that are gas sensors. This activates or accelerates the fans and extractors inside a mine. In addition, it is a multifunctional system because it evaluates the activity of tremors and landslides. It works wireless and without internet, as it has a mechanism similar to Wi-Fi, but it depends on an internal network”, said the team.
Mining companies interested in buying your project
The winners are managing their design patent and are preparing to showcase their initiative in the next edition of the PERUMIN 34 Mining Convention, in Arequipa, where they will have the opportunity to contact potential investors and/or clients. Likewise, as winners of the contest, they received a cash prize of S/ 10,000 and free access to the incubation program for the development of its proposal provided by InnovaEsan and the Center for Entrepreneurial Development of said university.
“Making a model for these types of projects is very complicated and, as young people, they often don't take us seriously. However, we have been moved by the support we have received. We never thought that a project like this would be of such interest. Actually, some mines have already contacted us to buy our invention”, they said.
Mining drives ‘startups’
Towards PERUMIN hackathons seek to enhance the skills and creativity of the participants for the development of technological solutions aimed at solving various challenges related to mining and other related activities, also seeking the opportunity to develop an enterprise (startups) that will help them allow professional and/or business development.
“Mining presents challenges of various kinds: operational, environmental, social, infrastructure, machinery, etc. We must stimulate the talent and creativity of our young people to address these challenges and develop innovation projects that serve mining and society as a whole”, said Carlos Gálvez, president of the Organizing Committee of PERUMIN 34, who announced that the next Mining Convention will be characterized by youth participation.
The 5th Hackathon 2019 was organized by the National Mining, Petroleum and Energy Society (SNMPE) and the ESAN University Entrepreneurship Development Center (CDE), with the support of the Institute of Mining Engineers of Peru (IIMP), official organizer of PERUMIN 34 Mining Convention.
About PERUMIN
PERUMIN is the second largest Mining Convention in the world and is organized every two years by the Institute of Mining Engineers of Peru (IIMP). Its 34th edition, which will be held in Arequipa from September 16th to 20th, 2019 at the Cerro Juli Convention Center, will have as motto “Mining: Science, Innovation, Technology and Education”.
