An app for looking after newborn babies, a program to monitor breathing and computer vision software for Princeton, winners of the UOC-RMF Awards

The winners of the UOC-RMF Awards are outstanding in offering solutions to current problems, ranging from caring for newborn babies to the sophistication of genetic research at Princeton.


A guide for parents of newborn babies

My wee app, by María Fernández, was the winning project in the Multimedia category. It is an app for mobile phones with Android technology to help parents in looking after their newborn babies. It enables various profiles to be created for free and monitors a baby's daily needs, such as feeding frequency, change of nappies and visits to the paediatrician. An app with a friendly interface and intuitive handling that aims to help parents manage their time and monitor their baby's development simply and easily.

María Fernández has a bachelor's degree in Audiovisual Communication from the UAB and is a graduate of the UOC's University Master's Degree in Multimedia Applications. She is currently developing the website for a multinational company.


Non-invasive monitoring of breathing

The Automatic segmentation of breathing based on sound recording project, by Juan Alberto Castro, was the winner in the Security and Telecommunications category. It is a program that identifies oral and nasal breathing in real time using a microphone. The project, which features a status classification method designed by Castro, opens the door to measuring disorders such as stress, apnoea and asthma in a non-invasive way. The level of detection in the tests was 93%.

Juan Alberto Castro has chosen the UOC on a number of occasions. He is currently studying on the University Master's Degree in Computer Engineering, but he also has a Foundation Degree in Systems Informatics, a Foundation Degree in Telecommunications: Specialization in Telematics and a University Master's Degree in Telecommunications Engineering from the UOC. Castro works as an ICT consultant with the Sagrada Família.


A computer science solution for Princeton

The Monitoring of mouse extremities in optogenetic experiments project, by Pere Parés, was the winner in the Computer Science category. It is computer vision software that has solved a difficulty faced by the neuroscience research group at the Princeton Neuroscience Institute. Among other lines, these researchers are working on optogenetics applied to rodents. The North American university was unable to measure automatically the responses of rodents, a drawback solved thanks to Parés's project. The software is able to provide the data using a non-invasive method as a result of a series of computer vision and artificial intelligence algorithms designed by Parés.

Pere Parés has a degree in Computer Engineering from the University of Girona and is a graduate of the UOC's University Master's Degree in Computer Engineering. He is currently responsible for an Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) solution in a company specializing in the development and integration of advanced information systems.


10,000 euros in awards

Comprised of academics and professionals from the ICT sector, the judging panel rated the technical complexity, applicability and utility of the projects. The winner in each category received a cheque for 3,000 euros and recognition as the best work in their year. For the second edition of the awards, a total of a hundred works was submitted.


No fear of failure, by Ramsés Gallego

Innovating without fear of failure and as a motor for change in society. This was the advice that Ramsés Gallego gave to everyone attending the UOC-RMF Awards. Gallego highlighted the work of ICT researchers, assuring that "what is most important is knowing where we are going, because that is what defines innovation".