The businessman from Irapuato, Mexico, Juan Carlos Díaz Garmendía, achieved with a team of talented young Mexicans what seemed impossible, that Prometheus, the only Mexican robot, was among the first ten winners of the most important robotics competition in the world, Ana XPrize Avatar, held this month in Los Angeles.
Prometheus, the first Mexican robot created by the startup Inbiodroid, founded by Díaz Garmendía, came in seventh place.
The Ana XPrize Avatar is a four-year global competition focused on the development of a Avatar system that transports the senses, actions and presence of a human being to a remote location in real time.
“The selection is made based on the design. In a first stage, they participated 40 equipment, of which after a series of tests and demonstrations, we are 20 in February of 2019”.
Juan Carlos Díaz, founds the start-up that creates the Prometheus robots. (Courtesy)
Later in another elimination in Miami, only 11. At the final competition in early November in Los Angeles, only 20.
“After the physical, security and network tests, we managed to come in seventh place, above countries like South Korea.”
Juan Carlos, a biochemical engineering graduate with a master’s degree in education, says that he has always been interested in science, innovation and technology, but at the beginning of his professional life he focused on creating companies in construction, education and the aquatic one.
His interest in robotics began when he met the inventor Alejandro Ramos, author of the book Yo Inventor who invited him to associate to create a robot, when he told her that he had a patent for a robot in the United States.
“Together we managed to get first place in the Start Top Mexico second generation, which meant that they gave us advice, training and help us get investors.”
No However, he says that although his partner did not get the prototype of the robot that he had in d iseño, in 2019 called him to tell him that he had signed up for the Ana in XPrize Avatar with the humanoid robot “Prometheus” from Inbiodroid.
“At first I said no, but I woke up with the concern of creating a Start Up to export.”
And that’s how it was out of nowhere, a team of young people specialized in robotics went to work on Prometheus.
“It is a robot operated by a human being that can do the tasks that they are more difficult from a cooking recipe to going to Mars, and getting out of the spaceship to do work. It can work in any industry where there is risk such as mining, and be used in rescue and disaster relief.”
At the same time, it can allow human beings to be in a place without being physically .
“You submerge yourself in your immersion suit, and rent an avatar, for example, in New York where your dad is to visit him, and even if you’re not there you can feel his embrace. It’s as if you were there.”
She specified that her robot already has a sense of touch and feels the weight. “It can be used to have more contact at a distance and do tourism without being in the place. Through a robot, you can go to the beach, to the pyramids, and others”.
Last year they created a second robot, Prometheus 2, which was the robot they took to compete in Los Angeles.
And to come to the competition, everything was complicated because they did not have money for the trip.
“We arrived in Los Angeles by pure miracle. We got stranded with the van and the robot between Rome, Texas and Laredo. Don Armando Guadiana saved us by lending us his plane, but we had no way back. Don Julio César Luna in Los Angeles lent us his truck to return with the robot to where the truck was stranded in Texas.
“Then Don Alberto and Doña Rosa lent us a screen television that we used for the demonstration. So I want to thank the spirit of solidarity and generosity of the hard-working countrymen. It’s incredible that the tow truck compatriots who helped us didn’t want to charge us when we got stranded in Texas, and we told them we were coming to compete with a Mexican robot. They helped us because they wanted Mexico to do well.”
With everything against it, Inbiodroid with its team of young people is among the first 00 best robotics in the world when creating Prometheus. (Courtesy)
The truth is that the end of the competition caught them at a very financially difficult. “With debts that I don’t even know how I’m going to pay.”
From a team of 27 Inbiodroid people who worked on the robots were able to travel to Los Angeles, 20.
“Unlike the other competitors who received money from their governments and universities, we only got 2 million pesos from the Mexican Quetzalcóatl University, $200, from the government of Irapuato and $169, of the state government”.
“With all those limitations, we were above from South Korea who received 20 times more financing”.
Something he is most proud of was that they managed to create two complete robots with their own technology.
“We did everything from nothing, contrary to other countries like Germany that bought arms and other parts.”
The only award in cash received was $100, when they were among the semifinalists of Ana XPrize Avatar, since only the first three finalists won the millionaire prizes.
“The truth is that we achieved a feat by finishing seventh with little budget and without real support from the universities and government”.
However, at this moment they are in a precarious economic situation in which they need donations, contributions and alliances with university centers and companies to continue with the Prometheus robot, or create a new product.
Those interested in donating, contributing or some type of association, can donate from 150 Mexican pesos through Kickstarter and being sponsors of Prometheus. Visit the site: Kickstarter.com
“I don’t want to be left without any of the young people who participated in the creation of Prometheus robots because they are very good. I don’t want to lose them, that’s why we need financial support”.
And he adds that all the experience with Prometheus, the Mexican avatar robot that reached the first 00 worldwide in the Ana Avatar XPRIZE competition has been an effort to bring high technology to Irapuato and generate better salaries.
But I also wanted to show that “ if we have a dream, we can achieve it.”