Aguascalientes, Aguascalientes, August 27, 2025.— Ricardo Abel Espinosa Loera, M.A., director of the Bachelor’s Degree Program in Artificial Intelligence Engineering at the Aguascalientes campus of the Universidad Panamericana , was honored with the 2025 State Award for Technological Innovation, presented by Governor Tere Jiménez during the Multilateral Forum on Science, Technology, and Innovation.
Innovation in the Automotive Industry with Artificial Intelligence
The award-winning project was launched more than two years ago in collaboration with the state’s automotive industry. It is a system based on artificial intelligence and an ultrasonic microphone capable of detecting, through sound, whether a car’s wiring harnesses were assembled correctly.
“When you connect two harnesses, you hear a click; that sound, though it may seem insignificant, can determine whether the part was assembled correctly or not. What we did was train a system to identify that click and verify in real time whether the assembly is correct,” he explained.
The initiative arose in response to a need in the industry: “Robots couldn’t handle this task because the workspace was too small, so it remained a manual process. The problem was that errors were detected too late—after the parts had already been installed—which led to significant losses. We designed the solution based on that challenge,” the professor recalled.
From Research to Patent
In addition to scientific publications, the project has a patent application pending with the IMPI, a key step toward commercializing the technology in the future. With this award, which included a cash prize of 100,000 pesos, the team will be able to move forward with finalizing the patent and exploring further applications within the industrial sector.
““We didn’t start this project with an award in mind; we simply decided to take advantage of the call for entries because we had everything ready. In the end, it was a demanding experience, with a lot of paperwork and requirements, but it was worth it. Today we’ve won first place, and we’re highly motivated to keep moving forward,” said Mr. Espinosa.
Award for Technological Innovation at Universities
The award, presented by the Aguascalientes State Institute of Science and Technology (INCyTEA), recognizes the most innovative projects in three categories: companies, research centers, and universities. The University of the State of Aguascalientes( Universidad Panamericana ) took first place in the higher education category, competing against both public and private institutions in the state.
For Mr. Espinosa, the most important thing is what comes next: “The goal is to finalize the patent and be able to apply this technology in more industries in Aguascalientes”.
With this recognition, the Aguascalientes campus of theUniversidad Panamericana reaffirms its commitment to innovation, applied research, and the development of leaders who transform industry and society.
Learn more about the " Universidad Panamericana " and its focus on innovation at: https://www.up.edu.mx/vida-panamericana-centros-centro-de-emprendimiento/
