PROJECT MINAKU, AN ELKARTEK SCHEME PROJECT WITH THE COLLABORATION OF AFM CLUSTER, IS REAPING INTERESTING RESULTS

Project Minaku is part of the Elkartek scheme managed by the Basque Enterprise Development Agency. Since its beginnings in April 2022, the consortium has been obtaining very interesting results.

The project's consortium is made up of member of the Basque Science, Technology and Innovation Network (RVCTi), since the scheme supports collaborative research by this network in the realm of smart industry. The participants are: the Department of Mechanical Engineering and the Department of Communications Engineering at UPV-EHU, TEKNIKER Technology Centre, Mondragon Goi Eskola Politeknikoa, Fundación Tecnalia Research & Innovation, Fundación Lortek and AFM Cluster.

The main aim of project MINAKU is to develop new cyber-physical systems that will enable key data to be extracted through sensors embedded at different depths from the surface of metal components, inspired in the nerve systems of human skin. The concept of sensitive metal skins that enable the existence of engineering components monitored on the surface, even under extreme conditions, currently presents a low technology readiness level (TRL) and constitutes a positioning opportunity for the RVCTi network in the near future of the metal-mechanical industry.

This project is contributing to developing new opportunities that accompany the technological-digital transition, since cyber-physical systems integrate various attributes, such as the capacity to process information, the connection/interaction with other systems and the monitoring of environments.