Press room

This concept involves the development of an environment in which people can interact with a multitude of interconnected devices, thereby improving the quality of their daily lives at home, at work (within the so-called extended company environment), in leisure activities, transport and health. Ambient Intelligence forms part of the research programmes of the world’s most advanced countries and constitutes one of the priorities of the European Union’s VI Framework Programme, as well as the Eureka Programme and the Science and Technology Plans of both the Spanish and Basque Governments.

Ikerlan’s initiative was presented today by its General Manager, Carlos Redondo, during a press conference in which he was accompanied by the Chairman of MCC’s General Council, Jesús Catania and the Chairman of Ikerlan, Txomin García. Catania emphasised the pioneering role played by Ikerlan over the years, saying that it has served as a model for other centres both within and outside the Basque Country. Txomin García evoked the global vision of Arizmendiarrieta, the founder of the co-operative movement in Mondragón, and the fundamental role played by Caja Laboral, the Polytechnic School and a number of industrial co-operatives, underlining the fact that over the last 30 years, Ikerlan has led over 1,500 projects involving research applied to the business world, maintaining close links with the local industrial fabric at all times.

Ikerlan’s aim, according to Redondo, is to set up a team of 15 specialists in this new field. The centre already has extensive experience in the field of wireless communications, embedded electronics, distributed software systems, sensors and microsystems, which are the key technologies upon which the evolution of Ambient Intelligence is based.

In fact, Ikerlan is already working on projects linked to Ambient Intelligence in relation to home-based products, lifting systems and products adapted to enable interaction with the disabled, and aims to start work on others in the transport and health sectors in the near future. During the course of such projects, the centre collaborates with a number of leading companies such as Philips, Fagor, France Telecom, Microsoft, Motorola, Nokia, Orona, Telefónica, Telvent and Thomson, as well as with a select group of fellow centres and universities, including VTT, Fraunhofer, Ceit, Inria, Mondragón University, the University of Madrid, the University of the Basque Country, Twente and Lovaina.

The main projects in which Ikerlan is involved in the field of Ambient Intelligence are: the Amigo and Teaha projects, which form part of the EU’s VI Framework Programme; the Genio project targeted at voice control of electrical appliances and ticket expenders; the Amec project within the Eureka Programme for the development of intelligent communications devices and the EnComPas project, also within the Eureka Programme, which focuses on enabling community communications, platforms and applications. Ikerlan also collaborates in the Basque Government programmes Etortek and Saiotek, within the field of high-reliability industrial and wireless communications.
 

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