A team of teachers from the National Industrial Work Training Service (Senati) will represent Peru in the final of Huawei's ITC Teaching Competition, where 60 participants from 28 countries will compete.
Their proposal aims to transform occupational safety through the development of two laboratories equipped with cutting-edge technology.
The Peruvian team—made up of Charles Calero, Darwin Uzuriaga, and Ronal Vilca—stands out on the international technology scene.
Industrial engineer Charles Calero, a Senati teacher and finalist in the prestigious "Teaching Competition," told Andina News Agency that the development of innovative educational laboratories enables students to master emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) and the Internet of Things (IoT).
Occupational Safety Innovation: IoT and AI projects
The project emerged in response to the limitations in Peru's technology education system.
The finalists focused on engineering and the need to improve occupational safety; therefore, they developed two laboratories driven by a combination of critical occupational safety needs and the lack of practical spaces in the country's technology education.
Calero underscored the project's relevance in the educational context, noting that "the Teaching Competition is a challenge to create laboratories where we can help students learn topics related to artificial intelligence (...) and students can develop, using Huawei technology, solutions linked to industry."
The primary focus of laboratories is occupational safety.
The first project features IoT technology and consists of a physical device capable of monitoring the workplace environment to protect workers' health; it includes sensors that detect carbon monoxide, noise levels, and temperatures, as well as a balance sensor to identify potential worker falls.
The collected data will be sent to the cloud and a mobile application, allowing the responsible supervisor to access the information in real time.
The second laboratory, also focused on occupational safety, uses AI-based computer vision to ensure that workers comply with safety regulations.
Using pre-trained cloud-based models, the AI detects personal protective equipment (PPE) through cameras.
Users simply provide instructions such as "find a helmet" or "get a vest," and the AI locates those objects in the images, the engineer explained.
Positive impact on Peruvian education
"All the materials we are developing will be published and made publicly accessible," he told Andina News Agency.
Beyond the competition, Calero hopes that what has been developed will help students create stronger proposals.
Therefore, after the competition, they would like to replicate this technology in other universities and institutes so that students can move from theory to practice.
For the teacher, the education system must shift toward hands-on experimentation.
"At times, it does us no good as teachers to provide only theory (...) but if the student actually does and executes things, it sticks with the student."
Similarly, he offered a message of encouragement regarding the use of new technologies: "They are another tool, not our competitor (...) Artificial intelligence is evolving, and that makes us more productive and more competitive."
With these innovative laboratories, students will not only learn about emerging technologies but will also be prepared to face the challenges their careers demand.
As this project evolves, it is crucial to closely monitor how it can enhance education in Peru and globally.
The Teaching Competition final is scheduled for April 8 to 10 in a remote format. Afterward, only the winners will travel to Shenzhen, China, where they will present their laboratories.