The Municipality of Temuco and the Universidad de La Frontera participated in the third version of Do! Smart City Santiago, the biggest national meeting in Chile that seeks to promote the development of sustainable and smart cities.

Given the alliance between the Faculty of Engineering and Science of the Universidad de La Frontera and the Municipality of Temuco, who seek to develop a project during the next three years that allows to transform Temuco, the capital of the Araucanía Region, into the first smart city in Chile, representatives of both institutions were present at this important event, with a joint stand.

In this space, the participants were able to get to know the different initiatives for technological innovation which the researchers of this university will be working on in order to implement an open Smart City platform and pilots in the field of transportation, recycling and environmental decontamination, among other fields that are considered key for the development of Temuco and its citizens´ quality of life.

The UFRO was represented by authorities and academics, such as Franklin Valdebenito Godoy, the director for Innovation and Technology Transfer, and Janina Hanswillemenke and Mauricio Granzotto, professionals of the MacroFaculty of Engineering. The delegation of the Municipality of Temuco was led by the Mayor, Miguel Becker.

“It is important to be part of this initiative. We do not only want that Temuco is going to be present, but also a protagonist in the great changes. Our aim is to become a smart city that encourages its citizens to participate and that, with the help of a network of collaboration, puts people first, prioritizing their well-being and connectivity with public services. Therefore, information and communication technologies play a key role,” Franklin Valdebenito stated.

Another special appearance at Do! Smart City Santiago 2018 was made by the NAO robot of the UFRO Department of Electrical Engineering who was in charge of welcoming the participants in his particular way.

This version of Do! Smart City Santiago included activities such as networking, a fair for products and services especially designed to give real solutions to urban problems, and a congress that, via forums and panels, brought Chilean and foreign experts together, as well as businessmen and representatives of social and civil organizations, in order to analyze and debate the problems the citizens face in their daily lives around town.