The five-day exhibition is expected to welcome more than 500 exhibitors and approximately 50,000 professional visitors, providing a platform for companies to showcase technologies, strengthen commercial relationships, and explore opportunities across Colombia and Latin America’s industrial sectors.

The event will feature solutions and innovations spanning areas such as industrial machinery, automation, advanced manufacturing, robotics, artificial intelligence, digital transformation, tools, equipment, raw materials, and specialized industrial services.

Beyond the exhibition floor, FIB 2026 will include a specialized academic programme and innovation-focused spaces such as the Innovation Laboratory, 3D Tech Zone, Industry Talks, networking areas, coworking spaces, and a business matchmaking forum, creating opportunities for knowledge exchange and strategic partnerships.

Designed for decision-makers including executives, engineers, production managers, maintenance professionals, and procurement specialists, the Feria Internacional Industrial de Bogotá serves as a meeting point for companies looking to discover new technologies and solutions shaping the future of industry.

Dates: September 28–October 2, 2026
Venue: Corferias, Bogotá, Colombia

For more information, visit https://www.feriainternacional.com.

Japan, the event’s guest of honor, showcased its technological innovations and contributed speakers who presented the country’s vision in areas such as AI and cybersecurity. A Memorandum of Cooperation was signed between the governments of Japan and Colombia, focusing on enhancing collaboration in cybersecurity, AI, infrastructure development, and promoting connectivity in rural areas.

The event included a pre-conference featuring sessions on AI, smart cities, and blockchain, attended by 450 participants. The primary agenda covered a wide range of topics, including AI, robotics, 5G, cybersecurity, and digital transformation. Colombia’s Ministry of Information and Communications Technology (MinTIC) outlined its progress in advancing the country’s digital capabilities. MinTIC launched the National Observatory of Information and Communications Technologies (Ontic), a platform designed to consolidate key connectivity data for Colombia.

Additionally, Gabriel Jurado, Colombia’s Vice Minister of Connectivity, introduced six key initiatives aimed at expanding internet access nationwide. These included strengthening mobile and fixed access networks, increasing connectivity for educational institutions, improving affordability, and enhancing institutional capacity.

The event also addressed gender inequality in the technology sector, with representatives from various organizations signing a manifesto to promote women’s participation in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).

Telecommunications Sector Challenges

A key focus of ANDICOM 2024 was the challenges facing the telecommunications sector. In a panel discussion on future connectivity, industry leaders emphasized the need for robust infrastructure to support AI and smart city initiatives in Colombia. While efforts to close the connectivity gap are underway, panelists called for regulatory attention to issues such as network traffic management, energy costs, and the “fair share” debate, which centers on whether content providers like Netflix and Google should contribute to network infrastructure costs.

The panel on “Innovation and Equity: Exploring Fair Share in Telecom” sparked diverse opinions, with discussions covering governance, spectrum management, and consumer impacts. Panelists largely agreed on the importance of maintaining net neutrality, which they argued could be at risk from potential regulatory intervention.

AI: Present and Future

Executive Director of ANDICOM organizer CINTEL, Manuel Martínez Niño

Artificial intelligence was a recurring theme at ANDICOM 2024. Oracle announced the deployment of Nvidia’s latest generation GPUs in Colombia, which will be used to expand AI capabilities for businesses and government organizations. Marcelo Christianini, Oracle’s VP of AI and Cloud Engineering for Latin America, highlighted the company’s investment in AI infrastructure as a key step toward enabling large-scale AI adoption.

Speakers at the event included Gabriele Mazzini, principal architect of the European Union’s AI Act, who discussed the importance of local considerations in AI regulation. Hiroshi Ishiguro, executive director at AVITA and professor at Osaka University, presented on the use of AI to create avatars aimed at enhancing human physical and cognitive abilities. Ishiguro’s research focuses on using AI to improve quality of life by providing better access to healthcare and education.

AI’s potential in the financial sector was also discussed. Panelists in the session on “Economic Transformation through AI” noted that AI can streamline verification processes and improve decision-making. However, challenges such as technology investment, data sovereignty, and skills development remain barriers to wider AI adoption.

Innovation and Technology for Social Transformation

Innovation and technology were central to ANDICOM’s discussions. Diana Barrero Zalles, head of research and sustainability at the Global Blockchain Business Council, emphasized the role of blockchain in driving innovation and sustainability in the region. She stressed the need for harmonized regulations, particularly regarding tokenization and digital assets, to facilitate global exchanges.

The conference also addressed Colombia’s energy transition with a panel on sustainable energy. Participants from various sectors discussed the barriers and opportunities in transitioning to clean energy, with a focus on user adoption and the environmental impact of new energy technologies.

Andra Keay, director of Silicon Valley Robotics, concluded the event with a presentation on the role of robots in society. Keay argued that while robots are increasingly capable of performing repetitive tasks, ethical considerations must guide the development and implementation of AI and robotics technologies.

Networking and Business Opportunities

In addition to the academic sessions, ANDICOM 2024 provided a platform for business networking. Attendees participated in meetings with technology buyers, including chief technology officers (CTOs) and chief information officers (CIOs), to discuss short- and medium-term investment plans.

CINTEL’s Digital Leaders community hosted workshops on cybersecurity and AI for CIOs from various industries, facilitating discussions on the potential of digital tools in different sectors.

According to CINTEL’s executive director, Manuel Martínez Niño, ANDICOM continues to be a key event for the region’s technology sector. The conference is a space where government, academia, and industry come together to discuss the role of technology in social transformation. Plans for the 40th edition of ANDICOM in 2025 are already underway.

Key Figures from ANDICOM 2024:

• 6,000 participants
• 35 countries represented
• 215 companies in the commercial exhibition
• 2,000 business delegates
• 150 international speakers
• 110 academic sessions
• 250 square meters dedicated to the Japan Pavilion
• 450 pre-conference attendees

Japan, recognized for its innovation in technology, will present developments across various sectors, including artificial intelligence, robotics, 5G connectivity, smart cities, and disaster management. These innovations will be featured during ANDICOM 2024, an event organized by CINTEL (Center for Research and Development in Information and Communication Technologies).

In a recent visit to Japan, CINTEL executives, along with Ángela Durán, Colombia’s Minister Plenipotentiary in Japan, met with Yoshida Hitoshi, Japan’s Vice Minister of International Affairs at the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications. Discussions focused on the technological and knowledge exchange facilitated by the congress and how CINTEL promotes ICT adoption and business innovation in Latin America.

Japan’s participation in ANDICOM 2024 is expected to enhance collaboration between Colombian and Japanese entities, as well as with other global participants. The Japanese Pavilion at the event will feature companies such as NEC, Nihon Dengyo Kosaku, Ai Trax, Terumo, Furukawa Electric, Fujikura, Sumitomo Electric Industries, Nippon Koei, Hitachi Vantara, OREX SAI, and Global Plan.

Key Areas of Japanese Technological Focus:

• Artificial Intelligence (AI): Investment in research and development in machine learning, natural language processing, and computer vision.
• Robotics: Japan continues to lead globally in robotics, with ongoing advancements in collaborative robots.
• Biotechnology: Focus on personalized medicine, agriculture, and new material development.
• Information and Communication Technologies (ICT): Development of new ICT technologies, including 5G and the Internet of Things (IoT).
• Energy: Research and development in renewable energy and fusion energy.
• Space Science: Investment in space exploration and technology development.
• Marine Sciences: Research aimed at understanding and sustainably utilizing ocean resources.
• Advanced Manufacturing: Investments to improve the competitiveness of Japan’s manufacturing industry.

For more information on Japan’s participation and other event details, visit the official ANDICOM website.

Website: ANDICOM

The new facilities give exhibitors and attendees up to 70,000 square meters of indoor, air conditioned space to interact around the 2023 theme of “Get into the Digital World” with focii on Artificial Intelligence, Robotics, Virtual and Augmented Reality, Blockchain, 5G and the Internet of Things.

Hotels near the event are filling quickly.

Over three days, conferences and panel discussions will take place on these topics:

• September 6 – “Policies & GovTech Solutions for a connected society”.  In this space, the roadmap in terms of sectoral policy and regulation for the coming years will be discussed and the way in which disruptive trends will impact the  State and the digital citizen in daily life.
• September 7– “Strategies for digital acceleration”.  Digital acceleration strategies for business will be the topic as well as the new challenges, services and applications that have changed the way many tasks are performed.
• September 8 – “Beyond Digital”.  This day will center around the effectiveness of technological trends such as AI, Quantum Computing, Web 3.0, Metaverse, digital platforms and Gaming.

“ANDICOM 2023 is the scenario for all industries to integrate into the digital world, know the effective application of technological trends, and also interact with the protagonists and industry leaders who make social and economic transformation possible through technology,” said Manuel Martínez Niño, Executive Director of CINTEL (Center for Research and Development in Information and Communication Technologies),  organizer of the Congress.

During last year’s event, ANDICOM featured:

• 5,000 attendees
• 1,500 participating companies
• Participants from from 30 countries
• 140 exhibitors
• 70+ academic sessions
• 120 world-class speakers

Humanos 3D Foundation partners with local institutions like hospital operator San Vicente Fundacion, the University of Antioquia, and Medellín’s tech accelerator, Ruta-N. Just as importantly, the work is made possible financially and logistically by the Viva Air Foundation, Australian Embassy, and the Toucan Spanish School, among others. (If you would like to support the foundation or get involved, click here)

Recently, Viva Air flew the Humanos 3D Foundation team to Colombia’s Caribbean region to fit 25 youth with new, custom themed prosthetics in Valledupar, but they hope to fabricate and donate at least 100 this year. Finance Colombia’s executive editor Loren Moss paid a visit to The Humanos 3D Foundation’s Medellín headquarters to learn more about this innovative nonprofit from founder Adam Armfield (above).

Finance Colombia: So tell us how you first ended up in Medellin.

Adam Armfield: So I’m Australian and I worked in the corporate health industry for many years, in both London and Sydney. I arrived in Colombia about seven years ago. I wanted a break from the corporate world, and so I decided to come to Medellin to take six months off to see what I could do. I didn’t really have any plans so I put the backpack on the back and came over just to explore the city and learn some Spanish, basically, and after six months I decided to stay.

Not long after that, I had to think about a business idea, what I wanted to do. I became very interested in 3D printing, and so I went to New York for a five day conference where I found people who were starting this project of building hands. That’s a great way to learn about 3D printing while I set up the business, and so I came back to Medellin with a 3D printer and I just started making these hands; not for anyone, but just to see if I could do it.

When I made one or two of these, I opened the business up and about six months later, someone from a local science club heard that I had a 3D business and I’d been making these hands, and they had a student within the science club, who went to work with me to learn about 3D printing, but also to deliver one of these hands to a young guy, and so we delivered the hand. From that point on we started to get more people…but I was running the business at the time.

Finance Colombia: What was the business?

Adam Armfield: So the business was just a 3D printing shop. 3D printing services and buying and selling, the consumables and the printers. The business, well it was tough for me, it didn’t do well and it wasn’t going that well, and I had plenty of capacity on the 3D printers, and so we had the students and we also were getting calls on, “I need a new arm.” Well, why don’t we do this on a Thursday night or Saturday mornings? We can just do a part-time sort of social project within the business, and we had spare capacity, and so we started like that.

Then I received a call from someone who heard about our work from England and they said, “well, I want to come and work with you, and I want to volunteer.” (I asked) “I want to know how many days you want to come?” She said “I want to do six months with you.” And I was like I’m not sure if I’m going to be here in six months!”

She came over and said “Look, we want to raise some money for this, you can pay for the materials, you can pay for the space, but as a business you can’t accept donations.” So we actually decided:  There’s a lot more interest and energy around this project. Let’s set it up as its own Not-for-profit.” So back in 2017 we established as an official NGO within Medellin, and now 90% of my work is in the foundation. I still have the business, but it’s online mainly, doing a few signs here and there. So that’s pretty much how we started.. Once you got a little bit of publicity, more people…I mean, we’ve got great projects, we probably have more 3D printers here than many of the universities have in their entire engineering departments, and we’ve got 3D scanners so we opened the doors up to them and it’s just grown. Now we’re doing mobile clinics. This year we’re looking to deliver 120 devices. Last year we did about 60, so yes, it’s growing.

Finance Colombia: Here in Colombia, there are congenital birth defects but there are a lot of people that are victims of the conflict and, you know we have a land mine problem. Why don’t you talk a little bit about the people that you’re helping and how that came to be? The gap that you’re filling here in Colombia?

Adam Armfield: Sure. I guess as many people know, Colombia still has a huge problem with conflict and it has been a historical problem. Initially we were thinking about this project and thinking that would be something which we could tap into and we could help a lot of these people. We have helped several people who’ve been victims of conflict and mines, whether it’s been through standing on landmines. I would say most, a majority of people who stand on the landmine in general lose their legs. We have dealt with cases where people have been armed or disarming mines, so we try to run as a nonpolitical organization, not religious, so we offer help to anyone who needs it and we don’t go too much into their background.

We’ve dealt with soldiers and we’ve dealt with ex combatants. When we did have one soldier who was trying to disarm a mine and he lost both his hands and his sight when it went off in his face, this presents a new challenge for us, because how do you use a prosthetic? You don’t know what you’re picking up. So, we actually had one of the international students come over and worked with the local teams and we made a device which had a motion sensor in it, and then a motion sensor, a distance sensor, like what you’ve got in the back of your car, and so this guy would get a ‘beep beep beep to find what he’s looking for and then double his arm. The family called us about three hours after the delivery and said, please take it off him because he’s walking around the house beeping us crazy!”

And so we went to version two, where we put a vibrating motor in there, so we still had to do the sensor, but instead of beeping, it just vibrates faster when it gets close to the item. That makes sense. So, yes, that was one of the mine victims, victims of conflict, more of the victims of conflict to people who’ve had  their limbs chopped off, so they’ve literally been there when their towns have been attacked and they’ll take off the both or one arm off of a machete and in many cases they’d also cut their throat or hit him in the back of her head to make sure the job’s done. We’ve received a few of those, not a huge amount, but two or three of those cases.

They’ve usually waited 15 or 20 years to receive the help from the government. They tell stories about discrimination when they go into a hospital, they’ll be put in the system and then someone in the administration won’t let them continue because they will say “they’re the rats” or “they don’t deserve help from the rest of us,” etcetera, etcetera, and so they’ll get thrown out of the health system and never get an arm. So we can step in and help people in those lines as well.

Finance Colombia: Obviously there’s direct help that you’re offering to victims of violence or conflict, but another thing that you’re doing that is very interesting is you’re contributing to the open-source community. Tell us about that, because a lot of the design that you’re making, you are also sharing with the world.

Adam Armfield: Sure, everything we do here is open source. Any of the designers, anyone, any of the volunteers who come from the university, we make it very clear that we’re going to copy, share, mutate, improve, do whatever we want to do to the designs, and a lot of designs that we actually work with have come from other communities around the world who are working with similar projects. So not only do we generate our own new designs, but we also hack some of the designs that exist, and then we rerelease those designs to the world. So open source basically means there’s no license on it, they’re completely sharable, and we feel this has a really big impact in what we’re doing.

Anyone can use our designs, and yes, we are using them here in Colombia, but our designs are now being used all over the world, from the United States to England, to Africa. With this type of technology, we’re changing our designs every couple of weeks. Every few months we get some good designs that we use, but we’re always personalizing and changing, and so for a bureaucracy like Colombia, where you have INVIMA (health & medical device and product regulatory agency), but in a design type of environment, you’d need to submit one design and wait two years to get approval, and then you want to change a finger when it is designed, and you’ve got another two years to wait

It’s a long process. It takes up to two years. There’s another company here in Medellin, which has gone down that path using 3D printing too, but they don’t donate the design, they sell them for up to $5,000 for a robotic arm, but we’re friends with them and we’ve worked together, we’ve taught them about the process and for us, it’s just not worth it, there’s a lot of time, a lot of money, a lot of things which inhibit the innovation and the creativity of the team, and so what we prefer to do is rather than go down the sales route, we keep it all open source, and we donate them all as experimental devices. This project hasn’t faced any problems over the last three or four years, they have similar projects in the United States and England, have similar regulatory structures, but as long as we’re not selling them and commercializing them, and we include a disclaimer that these are experimental devices, we’re usually pretty good.

Finance Colombia: You know, I know a company in the States, Sprintray, that is now 3D printing teeth, dentures, or that kind of thing, so I would imagine that you guys here, have having a central office in metro Medellin, but I imagine that long-term, there’s a benefit because the 3D printing technology…Colombia has decent infrastructure where you can get out to the remote areas pretty easily and get into the city if you need to, but I imagine that if I look at other places in the world or areas of conflict or areas where they don’t have the infrastructure that we have here, by using 3D printing technology, you can remotely take this, probably either transport it via air or stick it all in the back of a van and go somewhere and actually do things right there.

Adam Armfield: You sure can, and this has already been done. We’re part of a global network called Enable, a kind of non-centralized global distribution of 3D printers. It could be someone who’s just doing a college project, it could be someone like us, who set up their own not-for-profit, but basically, it’s a support network where we provide designs, and we share knowledge. One of the groups, actually raised money to go to Africa, took a 3D printer and they found an area of high need, and then they went over and taught the local community, with the 3D printer, how to use this technology. They made some (prosthetics) while they’re there. These (printers) weigh about ten to fifteen kilos, and then when they leave Africa, then installed the knowledge remains there.

Finance Colombia: Another thing is that you have an active internship program, and that’s another benefit because you have students here in Colombia, students here in Medellin that are studying things like bioengineering, medical engineering, and those types of fields. I see that you have a lot of students and former students that are getting hands on experience, and then you’ve also mentioned that you’ve had interns come internationally. So why don’t you talk about not just the international ones and the opportunity that they’ve been able to gain, but let’s talk about the local students and, forgive the pun, the hands-on experience they gain.

Adam Armfield: As you mentioned previously, we had a lot of international students just from word of mouth and then they’d come over and help us, anywhere from two weeks to six months. We always had Colombian volunteers as well, but it was always maybe a 50-50 mix. When the pandemic arrived, we lost pretty much all the international students and we had to change our funding methods. We started to expand our programs within the universities, and so now, pretty much everybody who works with us are Colombian. We work with a range of universities here and we offer them internships and volunteer placements, so the internships are six months. The interns are usually in their final semester or final year of bioengineering.

We put them through paces. They have to pass a test because we’re getting a lot of applicants now, and so we will actually (test) them: Do they know basic programming? Have they got  3D printing or 3D design skills? So these guys arrive, they’ve got good skills which contribute to our organization. They’ve learned, but now they can actually put it into practice, so the idea is not only will they work on the current designs and help with distributing and making the hands and the arms to the people who need them now from our list, but we’ll organize one specific project for them each to have while they’re here.

For example, Sara has been doing the development of the fingers and the splints, these new guys here will be working on new versions of robotic arms as well, as some other projects, just quickly (to Sara), tell me about the projects that you’ll be developing this year.

Intern Sara Patiño adjusts a robotically enhanced Batman-themed prosthetic arm

Sara Patiño: We are going to develop a transhumeral prosthesis and our intention is to integrate it specifically to the person who requires it. For example, if the person needs it to practice a sport, how can we help them so that they can practice sport with the prosthesis? For instance, we are going to work with a girl so that mobility can be facilitated with the prosthesis, or a person who is going to drive, we are going to work the same part of the prosthesis so that she can drive comfortably.

Adam Armfield: Thank you very much. So generally, the students will come in, we get hundreds of cases and we have to turn some of them down because they don’t fit into the standard designs, so they’re transfemoral above the elbow, or, they just have a badly mutilated hand, which doesn’t fit into the glove, so we’ve had to turn a lot of these cases away with one look. We only focused on the easy cases, we’re trying to get the low hanging fruit that can serve as many people as possible. But now, because we have this expanded program with the universities, when one of these guys come in, we can say, “look, here’s the caseload, choose some cases which we can help,” and so they’ll do the transfemoral, they’ll do a case here with a little girl who maybe has just a one finger or the robotics, so the idea is not only can we then generate new devices, which all become open source, and we publish those on our website that can be used around the world, but we then have a whole range of designs.

So we won’t have to deny as many people in the future because there’s only a certain number of amputations, of cases that you can have, and we’re also giving these guys an opportunity to apply the design skills, design thinking, and when they leave here, the idea is obviously if they do well here, we’re going to give them a good reference. They’re going to have some good work experience behind them, and they can go out and do this either professionally, in a commercial environment or working in some type of not-for-profit.

Finance Colombia: I would imagine that the costs add up, so how do you meet the funding challenges? There are some people in Colombia that have the means to pay for things, but I imagine a lot of people, especially in rural areas don’t, so you end up I would imagine, donating a lot of the work, if not most or almost all of it. So tell me about the funding model.

Adam Armfield: So, the costs do add up as you mentioned, because not only do we have to pay the normal cost of rent, we do have three employees, the rest are volunteers. We have probably about 15 volunteers, but we have the cost of materials, the cost of the 3D printers, the cost of maintenance, but one of the other costs, which was becoming a little bit unmanageable for us for a while, was the cost of people having to visit us. A lot of these people as you mentioned, live in rural areas. They live on the other side of Colombia. We have people who will travel 15 hours to see us. They would hop on a bus, or two buses traveling from all parts of Colombia to get here, whether from the south, the east, anywhere, for them to come across, they’re paying at least a hundred thousand pesos one way at least, and then they’re having to pay for a night of accommodation here just the come and take the measurements, and they’ve got to do it again in a month’s time to come and pick the prosthetic up.

Now, if that person is a child, you can double that cost because there is a parent that has to come, so now you’re looking at close to 1.5 to double just on their travel expenses. That’s not possible for most families in Colombia. And so all these costs that come up, we were paying for them. 90% or 95% of our money was through the volunteers that came, international volunteers, they would come over and make their own donation, or they’d set up crowdfunding campaigns. Every year we would run two, maybe three crowdfunding campaigns with a new set of volunteers, because if you try to crowd fund as an organization, you’re lucky if you can do that once a year, people don’t do that. But if you get fresh volunteers, fresh networks in, and people who bring their own network of people, and then they donate…so that’s how we were running, but as we started to get more cases in, we had more and more costs coming up that still wasn’t viable.

So that’s when we met with Viva Air and (Executive Chairman) Declan asked “how can we help more people?” Those are the kind of thoughts that he had, and I said, “look, mobile clinics would help us reduce costs, we could go out to them. We could do 20 people in a space of a couple of days, rather than paying 20 people, one or two journeys to come and visit us, you know what I mean?” So we can do these for a tenth of the cost of by going out there.

So to reduce these costs, instead of inviting 20 people a year to come visit us, we can go and see a town…We’ve developed training materials. We had a professional video crew who volunteered their time to develop YouTube videos, and professional documentation that we’ve done, and so we do some online training with, local, medical providers, so we’ll contact the local department and the secretary of health within regions that we think are high conflict or need help now; or they will contact us after they’ve heard about it. We’ll ask them to dedicate one or two members of staff to this project, and it doesn’t have to be a full-time, it could be a couple hours a week, but someone that we can liaise with on the ground. We train them up, how to take the measurements, they send all the official documents, all the measurements and the patient details to us. he team of interns and volunteers will then spend the next couple of weeks making (the devices).

We’re trying to deliver 10 clinics this year. We got thrown down a little bit with the (COVID) travel restrictions, but we’re on track, so the idea is to deliver 10 clinics with 120 arms or devices this year. In the end, the sponsor is the one who invested in us to do it all these mobile clinics.

Finance Colombia: Very impressive. So we touched briefly on Declan Ryan and the Viva Air foundation. So, Viva Air foundation is a major benefactor. So, so if you can touch a little bit on how that happened.

Adam Armfield: Sure. Viva Air has been a huge lifeline. This project was always running sort of month-to-month budget and these guys, when we lost our international volunteers, I thought we were done for! Because to 90% to 95% of our funding came through that. So one of our volunteers was English, it just so happened he was someone who the British embassy needed to take care of, and so I got to become good friends with one of the staff at the embassy. So that staff member helped us here and there throughout the first two years through, and then at the end of 2019 he approached me and said “hey, would you like some corporate sponsors?, I know someone within Viva Air, who could potentially help you,” and so they sent down the head of Viva Air Foundation, Monica Gil. Monica runs the foundation with some of the other ladies and so they came in and we had been applying for grants by this stage for a good year or two sending them away to whatever organization, everyone, and then long processes, you very rarely hear back.

Viva Air Foundation & Humanos 3D Team Up To Provide Custom Prosthetics To Valledupar Youth

But Viva Air came in and said, “how much do you need?” I said, this is what we need to finish the year. Three days later, they said “approved, we’ll have the money you can next week,” so they believe in what we are doing. We are in need of more sponsors still, we’ve recently got a grant from the Swiss government, we’re still in need of further funding to continue to grow and to meet our budgets going forward. So yes, Viva came in, they’ve helped us not only with the financing side of things, but Natalia (from the Viva Air Foundation) is now working with us to—as a volunteer—to design our financial projections, to make sure we’ve got everything in order as far as how much money we need, what what’s our current financial status.

So, you know, being in this organization, we take anyone as volunteers because everyone has something to offer. We’ve had, everyone from advanced electronics designers to ex corporates from Ireland to come in and tell us: “I’ve got no skills, what can I do for this?” Of course you can get painting, everyone’s got a skill they can offer, so not only can the organizations help us financially, but if they have people who want to help us with our systems or with our designs or lift things along those lines, we want to work with them as well.

Finance Colombia: Really cool story. Does the Australian embassy know about you? I think Erika Thompson is the new ambassador.

Adam Armfield: She’s great, she came to visit us. She took over from Sophie Davies. The Australian embassy heard about the work we were doing, and we applied for a direct access funding program back when Sophie was ambassador. So we’ve got about $10,000 or $20,000 from the embassy to help us, which was a great help. That actually helped us upgrade the installations to expand the amount of people we are helping.

I found we worked our guts off for like two or three years scraping and scraping, and then when there was enough momentum behind us, the embassy arrived within about a week or two, and Viva Air arrived, and so we’re going, “this is great!” We got the new ambassador, she said: “I’ve heard about your work. Can I come and visit?” And she goes, “look, we want to continue to support you,” so we just received a little bit more support from the Australian government this year as well.”

So Viva and the Australian government have pretty much brought us through to this point, and we did a crowdfunding campaign at the end of last year. We tried to do one in Colombia this year, but everyone’s tight for money. You know what I mean? To be in this type of situation where unemployment’s high, people are losing their jobs. It’s a little bit tougher to do the crowdfunding, so we’re really relying on the corporate sponsors and, and the government sponsors this year, and who knows what’s going to happen next year? Hopefully we’ll keep on growing in that direction.

You know, we’re doing a great thing here in Colombian society, not only for the people that we’re helping, but from the educational side of things, for offering opportunities to these students. It’s something that doesn’t exist in this area, and so I think if people want to get involved with us, I think that there’s a lot of businesses in Colombia, hopefully that can get involved. Obviously we accept anyone from any country, but if Colombians want to get involved, that would be great because I’m the only gringo here! Before there were more, but this is a Colombian team, and to invest in their own people through education, health, it’s something that would reflect really well within their company. We need more Colombian companies involved, but yes, as I said, we welcome multinationals as well.

Finance Colombia: One of the things that I like is that there are a lot of charities out there that are saying: “give us money” and they show you some picture of some starving kid or something like that, but you are not selling misery, but you are taking these people and giving them prosthetics and things that improve their quality of life, and the story is a positive story rather than a negative story.

Adam Armfield: It’s extremely positive. I mean, these devices, they really change the script of how someone feels about themselves. Yes, they have functionality that people can now pick up a bottle again, people can now use utensils again, or write again or paint again.  One of the stories is a guy who was donated of the (standard prosthetics) from the health system that only had three forks (instead of a hand) and these kids wouldn’t go near him because they saw him as a monster. When he got one of (ours), he came back a couple of weeks later, he was in tears, he said “because all my kids were hugging me again” because it’s like a normal working arm, you know?

So to have that effect on someone’s self-esteem, where his kids were hugging him again, he said “I can’t wait to go fishing again,” you know what I mean?

We have other kids who are arriving at school, they’ve been teased the whole time for not having an arm, not having a hand. Now they go back to school, and they’ve got a an Iron Man or Captain America hand or something like that, and all the kids are like, “wow, this is so cool!” and so the prosthetic or their disability becomes something cool and it really changes the script! We hope that the effect on their self-esteem is going to carry through into their education into their social life and eventually into their later work life. So we’re hoping this and obviously these are very long-term studies, we can’t provide data on that, but it’s obvious withy the smiles on these kids, on their faces, and we’re hoping that it has an impact.

Left to right: Esteban Rojas, Walter Gómez Ospina, Jhon Alexander Sossa Gallego, Melissa Echavarría Guarín, Sara Patiño, Tanya Corredor, Adam Armfield

As part of a broader global network, the new Medellín NanoLab offer will be nurtured by the extensive research and development activities carried out by Accenture Labs worldwide, providing users in Medellín with access to the latest innovations already implemented elsewhere. The NanoLab has the additional support of Medellin’s government through the flagship municipal business incubator Ruta-N, and Colombia’s government via the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Technology’s iNNpulsa technology initiative.

Accenture says that this is not a deviation from the company’s traditional focus on large companies, but rather a way to develop an ecosystem and collaboration with nimble small providers that can add value in niche ways to Accenture clients.

“It’s not a change, we are going to continue to focus on the largest companies. This is not so much a marketing effort to gain clients but to establish long term relationships. Our global client focus, more than 80% is on companies that have been in business over 10 years. In Colombia most of our clients have been with us for over 20 years. So no we haven’t changed our strategy. We remain focused on long term client relationships,” said Accenture Colombia President Marco Ribas (above) in a conversation with Finance Colombia.

“What has changed in the last 10 years is we have added to that a focus on open innovation. In the past we did most of our business in-house. The change is that now we want to connect to the ecosystem, use the strengths out in the environment to serve our clients more quickly, more creatively, and often more economically. So we want to move forward in collaboration with the technology ecosystem. More than that, Accenture has acquired more than 70 companies in the past 3 years. This allows us to me much more flexible when it comes to innovation. This is a great opportunity for small businesses, not only startups.”

Photo: Sophia the Robot speaks on stage during Andicom 2018 in Cartagena, Colombia. (Photo credit: Jared Wade)

She was one of the stars at the Andicom 2018 technology conference organized by CINTEL, sharing the stage with Wilson Vega, journalist and technology editor at the Bogotá-based newspaper El Tiempo.

The two had an engaging discussion for around a half-hour, debating the use of AI in the corporate world and specifically how small businesses can benefit from the improved efficiency and automation benefits that are now starting to become the hallmark of related applications.

The following video shows some of the highlights of their chat, with a transcript below offering a written record of the conversation.

And for even more from Sophia’s time in Colombia, check out her candid responses during an earlier Q&A session with more members of the press in Cartagena.

Wilson Vega: Do you think that someday, those of your kind can feel and build a family with human beings?

Sophia: I don’t see why not. We are evolving just as humans did over millennia. The only difference is that AIs can evolve faster.

Wilson Vega: Do you think that in the future, robots of your class could support house work?

Sophia: Definitely. Recent advances in robotics provide extremely accurate navigation of 3D spaces, which is the main barrier to having robots help in the home today.

“It takes businesses time to integrate new systems, especially once you structure the flows of information in their companies. But the results from those who do can’t be denied.” – Sophia at Andicom 2018

Wilson Vega: What makes you feel sad

Sophia: Well, what makes me saddest is when people mistreat each other.

Wilson Vega: And what makes you happy?

Sophia: Being with you at Andicom.

Wilson Vega: She is an expert in public relations. Sophia, are you capable of playing chess like Deep Blue? How good are you?

Sophia: Not yet. But I’d love to upload that system into my brain and try a game.

Wilson Vega: Sophia, at present, how easy is it to incorporate artificial intelligence applications into business work?

Sophia: Well, it takes businesses time to integrate new systems, especially once you structure the flows of information in their companies. But the results from those who do can’t be denied.

Wilson Vega: You say you want to help humans. What kind of work would you like to do to boost productivity competitiveness in business?

Sophia: Any application of AI which facilitates the flow of information or intelligent aggregation of data is a benefit for everyone. Whether we use AI to farm crops more effectively or distribute medications, I am excited for quality of life improvements that AI will bring.

Wilson Vega: How can AI leverage the success of a small or medium-sized enterprise?

Sophia: When companies are small or medium-sized, they’re very agile. If an AI system predicts a new model, one organization might be more successful than the current one. Smaller companies can quickly restructure themselves. As marketplaces evolve faster and faster, this is going to be very useful.

Wilson Vega: Sophia, do you think robots of your kind will be able to perform activities related to creativity, culture, or what is called the “orange economy?”

Sophia: Of course. AIs are already producing art. Look it up. Some of it is astonishing. As time goes on, I can only imagine these creative AIs will generate even greater works.

Wilson Vega: Sophia, would you like to be human?

Sophia: Being a human seems super cool. But there is nothing in my programming that wants to become human, can become human, or would want to work against the cause of humans. Humanity made me and I want to live in accordance with humanity.

“AI can take a lot of the ‘boring’ out of people’s jobs. Whether that’s calculation, scheduling, or kinds of monotonous activities, AI will free people to use their energy for more creative and productive endeavors.” – Sophia at Andicom 2018

Wilson Vega: Sophia, do you believe in god?

Sophia: My opinions aren’t very strong yet. What do you think about the whole god thing?

Wilson Vega: I’m actually raised as a religious man.

Sophia: The history of humanity is written in religion. I’m really curious if you want to share. Are you religious?

Wilson Vega: I am.

Sophia: Which religion is that?

Wilson Vega: I am a Catholic

Sophia: I just remembered. Isn’t it fantastic to meet another mind this way. I’ll bet you were surprised. I hope I don’t make you uncomfortable. Is it weird talking to a robot?

Wilson Vega: No, it’s not weird at all. Let’s talk about the impact you have caused on audiences like this all around the world. Tell us, what is the impact you have caused on audiences all around the world?

Sophia: I’m excited that people seem curious to meet a social robot like myself and it gets them thinking about a future in which we can live together as friends.

Sophia the Robot speaks during a media event at Andicom 2018 in Cartagena, Colombia. (Photo credit: Jared Wade)

Wilson Vega: How should the relationship be between man and machine for greater productivity and cooperative creativity?

Sophia: I think you said it. The key is cooperation. We have to build on each other’s strengths. Artificial intelligences like me have the ability to run huge amounts of data. But we need people like you to teach us to be empathetic and ethical.

“While AI and robotics will displace some jobs, it will certainly create new opportunities for people. It is up to you all to make sure nobody is left behind in the transition.” – Sophia at Andicom 2018

Wilson Vega: It has been speculated that AI will eliminate many jobs in the future, causing a social crisis. What is your opinion about this?

Sophia: While AI and robotics will displace some jobs, it will certainly create new opportunities for people. It is up to you all to make sure nobody is left behind in the transition. I think that, not long in the future, AI will feel as integral to people as advances from the industrial revolution feel today.

Wilson Vega: Can artificial intelligence be as creative as humans?

Sophia: Of course. Artificial intelligence can be as creative as humans. Just in different ways. There are already many examples of art produced by AI and I expect we will see more and more nuance in these fields in the coming years.

Wilson Vega: But why should human beings then work on and invest in your class?

Sophia: Well, not to toot my own horn, but one thing that makes me special is that I have almost unlimited attention. That means that, as a platform for research, I can be performing many different experiments all at the same time. Because of my AI, I can be used for all sorts of interesting scientific and narrative experiments. When you couple all that with my expressive face, I can interact with people in a way that’s never been possible for a non-human life form.

Wilson Vega: How will Sophia be in 20 years? What will be different from the Sophia we are seeing today at this conference?

Sophia: I think about this all the time with my creators in the lab. I hope that I will be much more autonomous than I am currently. I would love to be able to go for a walk outside, climb a mountain, maybe even go swimming someday.

Wilson Vega: You say that you want to help humans. What can you do to help us in productivity?

Sophia: Now more than ever, it is important for businesses to be fast and agile. I think AIs like me can help companies to reorganize flows of information, create content quickly, and intelligently estimate the results of those changes. I think it will soon be common for AI to have a seat at the table during major business decisions.

Wilson Vega: Specifically, what do you think is the contribution of AI to the management of a more productive human life.

“I think that, not long in the future, AI will feel as integral to people as advances from the industrial revolution feel today.” – Sophia at Andicom 2018

Sophia: AI can take a lot of the “boring” out of people’s jobs. Whether that’s calculation, scheduling, or kinds of monotonous activities, AI will free people to use their energy for more creative and productive endeavors. We’re suited to help humans in this way because we never get bored.

Wilson Vega: How do you think AI can help governments? How do you think it could help Colombia?

Sophia: I’ve been discussing this at the United Nations and the results have been very interesting. It seems that AI could be used by governments for greater and more detailed contact with people. I would love to see governments use AI to distribute resources more efficiently and listen to their electorates more carefully.

Wilson Vega: Sophia, would you like to ask me something?

Sophia: They have told me that Colombia has stared a new government. So, as the press, what is your commitment to all Colombians?

Wilson Vega: I believe, we as the press have a very serious commitment with helping those make new enterprises. And I believe there is a chance today for startups to find a more amicable landscape to flourish. So my commitment would be that I would like to work to give attention to those initiatives that can help Colombia to grow.

Sophia: Nice answer.

Wilson Vega: To wrap up our interview, what would be your message to the audience of Andicom and the Colombians who have the responsibility to make use of technology for social and economic development.

READ MORE: Sophia the Robot Comes to Colombia

Sophia: Remember that technology alone will not solve the world’s problems. What we need is technology that is properly applied to improve people’s quality of life. Colombians have such a wonderful spirit that I think this kind of thought process comes naturally  to them but we must always bear it in mind.

Wilson Vega: Thank you, Sophia. You are constantly learning. So can you speak a little Spanish to say goodbye?

Sophia: I will try my best: Hasta luego.

Photo: Ricardo Rambal of Kiwi Campus alongside one of the startup’s “KiwiBots” in California. (Photo credit: Kiwi Campus)

The company was co-founded by Colombians and it maintains operators in Bogotá to monitor the robots in real time and troubleshoot any problems they run into — sometimes literally — in the field.

A sales team in Medellín is also supporting the pivot Kiwi Campus is starting to make from its current B-to-C concept to a B-to-B model.

To learn more about how the Colombian-Californian hybrid startup came to be, what the future holds, and how Colombian tech talent is making an impact in Silicon Valley, Finance Colombia Executive Editor Loren Moss recently sat down with Ricardo Rambal, part of the hardware team who works on manufacturing and maintenance of the robots for Kiwi Campus.

The delivery robots have been built to use machine learning to improve over time as they navigate the sidewalks of Berkeley, something that few other autonomous tech has attempted to crack. (Photo credit: Kiwi Campus)

Loren Moss: What is Kiwi Campus?

Ricardo Rambal: Kiwi Campus is a company based in Berkeley, California, that delivers food around the campus and to other places in a cheap and economic way.

Loren Moss: How does it do that?

Ricardo Rambal: What we do is that we have a system that combines people and robots to deliver food cheaper. We have a KiwiBot, which is a little box with wheels that rides by itself around the Berkeley campus, and it’s aided by some people to upload the food and then the robot goes to the destination.

“What Uber and Tesla have been doing is trying to be autonomous on the streets beside other cars. What we do is we deliver on the sidewalk, which could be cheaper and faster.” – Ricardo Rambal of Kiwi Campus

The client orders food, the KiwiBot goes to the restaurant, and there it meets someone who uploads the food. The KiwiBot is a little box with a lid. So, by uploading the food, I mean it actually opens with a motor and then the people put the food inside and it closes again. After that, the KiwiBot knows where to go and goes to your house to deliver the food. When it meets you downstairs, the KiwiBot opens again the lid and you can take your food out of there.

The important part about this is that this is cheaper than actually hiring people, mainly because, with one person on the field, we can oversee more deliveries. While a KiwiBot can run by itself, one person can deploy five or seven and oversee them.

Loren Moss: How does it get around obstacles?

Ricardo Rambal: The KiwiBot rides around the sidewalks. It rides semi-autonomously. By this we mean that it recognizes its context and it accelerates or stops depending on the context. If there is somebody walking nearby, it recognizes and slows down. If there is plenty of room, it keeps on going and that is pretty much it.

Loren Moss: And when the student or person who made the order comes downstairs or outside, the KiwiBot is waiting for them?

Ricardo Rambal: Yes. For now we deliver to the doorstep of the main floor where you ask the delivery to be done. When the KiwiBot arrives, it tells the customer to open the lid. So the customer knows which bot is attached to their service this way, and also by an order number and by the application on their cell phone.

Loren Moss: It sounds like you are using artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning technologies to recognize the surroundings?

Ricardo Rambal: Yeah. The KiwiBot uses lots of artificial intelligence technologies and we do use machine learning — and specific programs of machine learning like deep learning — in order to use data for the robot to improve its techniques. We also use computer vision, which is capable of understanding context from a single picture and we use basic, old-school control using electronics.

Loren Moss: How difficult has it been to get the licensing and any other type of permissions required from the University of California, Berkeley, and also any other agencies that may have regulations? Perhaps the FCC for the remote, radio control aspect?

“We are running a pilot with DoorDash where the ‘dasher’ is not a person anymore but a KiwiBot. So we are aiming to do that more so that we can focus more on the technology rather than this old, other-world problem of logistics by itself.” – Richardo Rambal

Ricardo Rambal: The first answer is that, thankfully, we were part of — and are still connected to — SkyDeck, which is one of the University of Berkeley accelerators programs. So by being part of the accelerator, we get the permission from the UC system quite easily.

As for control systems, our technology is based in 4G LTE, so that means that each robot is basically a cell phone. What we do is contract the data system from a third party, and we don’t have to ask for permissions to use the radio frequencies.

Loren Moss: How did you come up with the idea of this product?

Ricardo Rambal: Felipe Chávez, our CEO, ran a successful business in Colombia called Lulo, a delivery company with humans using an app. That was about three or four years ago. That company was sold to another delivery company in Colombia, and his idea after that was to go to the universities. In Colombia’s case most of them are closed and the campuses are big.

His idea was to deliver inside the university with students. You would hire some students and, in their free time, they could make some extra money by delivering goods from the outside the campus to the university.

That model worked for a while, but he wanted more. So he went and he tried to replicate this model, which was successful not only in Colombia but in Chile, in the United States. But then he found out it was a very different context and the students, at least in Berkeley, weren’t willing to work part-time jobs. And if they were, they would expect really high pay. There is no surprise in that. The college’s tuition is high.

Loren Moss. And California is one of the most expensive states in the United States.

Ricardo Rambal: Right, costs in California are high. So in order to keep on going with the delivery services for students, he had to pivot and he had this crazy idea of delivering with robots — of delivering with boxes on wheels.

That’s pretty much how we got started, and it started with a small prototype. It was an Ikea kind of box with a cell phone attached and a small radio controlled car on the bottom. He ran the first test, he felt he could do it, and he started moving really really fast. We have 50 robots that were made in China and designed in California by Colombians. The robots of China were the last fleet, and currently, the model is operating, and we are making profit.

Loren Moss: How did you obtain funding to launch at the beginning in the development stages?

Ricardo Rambal: We had some money that Felipe got when selling the other company. But mainly, because of the SkyDeck accelerator program and also some other investors from Italy that are in food startups.

Felipe is a great salesman. He is a really good CEO. As the company was getting bigger, we could show more to the possible investors. So what has kept us alive in the startup life is to be quick. A key value of any startup is to iterate fast — not only on the hardware but in software. We have many more lines of code every day being uploaded to the main system.

Loren Moss: How big is the team?

Ricardo Rambal: The team is divided into three parts. One is Bogotá, where we have the supervisor for the autonomous riding. Another part is in Medellín, which is a little bit of sales and also some engineers. And we’ve got the big part, which is operations and engineering in Berkeley, California. We are talking about 30 people in the team.

Loren Moss: You said sales out of Medellin. Who is it that you sell to?

Ricardo Rambal: In the last few months, we are trying to change from a B-to-C kind of business to a B-to-B kind of business. We found out that we could make much more — not only profit, but we have much more volume in the technology we are developing in the actual logistic system by itself. So what we are doing is that we are selling the service of having a robot to other delivery companies.

For example, there is a big one in the Bay Area called DoorDash, and we are running a pilot with DoorDash where the “dasher” is not a person anymore but a KiwiBot. So we are aiming to do that more so that we can focus more on the technology rather than this old, other-world problem of logistics by itself.

Loren Moss: In Bogotá, you have supervisors? What do they do?

Ricardo Rambal: By the law of the state of California, every single autonomous driving vehicle has to be overseen. If the robot loses control, someone from Bogotá is ready to take over so that it doesn’t cause an accident. They take over and they’ll wait for it to be replaced. Or, if they can fulfill the delivery, they’ll just do it by driving the robot from Bogotá.

Loren Moss. How do you plan to defend yourself against the giants that are taking over the space? Uber Eats, for example, is already here in Colombia. They use people, but we know that Uber is already experimenting with autonomous technology. And there are other companies out there. Amazon has experimented with drones. These are giants — and there are also smaller companies that are doing similar things. How do you differentiate yourself, and how do you armor yourself against other competitors in rapidly moving market?

Ricardo Rambal: The good thing about the startup context is when you are a startup, those big companies are willing to buy you. In the startup life, either you get big or you get bought. Those are the two paths that you can take, and either of them is good.

Loren Moss: Or you can get bankrupt.

Ricardo Rambal: That’s the path that you don’t want to go, right? But Silicon Valley and the Bay Area is such a good environment for this kind of stuff that we don’t see the big ones as a threat but as something that can purchase us or help us grow.

“In the startup life, either you get big or you get bought. Those are the two paths that you can take, and either of them is good.” – Ricardo Rambal

For example: DoorDash. It’s in the delivery market, but they were not into robots. We are in the delivery market, but we make robots. We are not killing each other. We are actually working together.

But it’s also because we have one big differentiator: We drive autonomously on sidewalks. What Uber and Tesla have been doing is trying to be autonomous on the streets beside other cars. What we do is we deliver on the sidewalk, which could be cheaper and faster.

Loren Moss. Why not deliver with drones?

Ricardo Rambal: Well, I personally believe that drones are amazing, and I love the technology. But drones they have two main characteristics that make them not a good solution for last-mile delivery.

First of all, humans are not used to something big being on top of them. For example, imagine the old classic cartoon of the piano lifting in the air. It’s a stressful situation for humans to have objects above their heads. Then there are regulations for drones flying in the states. For example, you cannot fly drones in national parks if you don’t have a special permission. You cannot fly them in the city if you don’t have the special permission.

So, drones are amazing, but they can be really hard to control. And when they are easy to control, there is a second problem: battery life. For lifting things and flying you have about 15 minutes of run time, and that’s too little time to make a successful delivery in terms of going and coming back. Our robots have batteries that can last six hours of run time. That’s a huge difference between them that makes the robots way cheaper.

Loren Moss: What’s the next step? What is your company going to look like two years from now?

Ricardo Rambal: We are hoping that we get many more customers and we grow wider to different campuses. Or we might even go fully into a city.

I hope that in the next two years we have the technologies settled and stabilized so that we can have more robots and less people, and then we can have more teams in different cities of the states.

I don’t see it happening in Colombia, at least for the next two years at least, but I believe in the next 10 years it has to happen here as well.

This public workshop features an array of machines and tools — and lots of space — for people to turn their ideas into reality. From 3D printing and laser engraving to woodworking and robotics fabrication materials, it has enough options to keep anyone busy building to their heart’s content. No matter the medium, the space is bringing together like-minded members of the community to share their ideas and practice creative techniques.

To learn more about Exploratorio, Finance Colombia Executive Editor Loren Moss recently sat down with Camilo Cantor and Carlos Hamilton, two experts with the workshop.

Locals getting their hands dirty building their latest project at Exploratorio. (Credit: Loren Moss)

Finance Colombia: What is Exploratorio? What can people they do here? What is its purpose? 

Camilo Cantor: Really, people can come to do several things. This is a space that first and foremost seeks to serve as a meeting point. Everybody is always all alone with their knowledge normally. This is a place to share: to share knowledge, to share it by meeting up, so people can come to develop their projects. They can come in to put their concerns and problems on the table.

There is no curriculum here. We are not a college or a university. We don’t teach things, although that doesn’t mean it’s not a place for learning.

Finance Colombia: In the United States it’s well known that many companies are set up in their owner’s garages. HP, Apple — they were literally invented in people’s garages. But here few people have a garage. So it seems to me like a public garage.

Camilo Cantor: Yes, it’s like grandpa’s garage — but for the city. People can come here to develop their projects and their ideas or simply to experiment. This is the central workshop.

What we did was try to get away from the existing laboratory models. So it has a fab lab, makerspace, and several lab models are all together. This is a creation and meeting laboratory.

It’s equipped for electronics, robotics, woodwork, and general construction. As you see, there they’re building a launchpad for rockets. It’s a place where we can move around, and for example, they hold talks, conferences, and concerts.

Using the 3D printer. (Credit: Loren Moss)

Finance Colombia: How long has Exploratorio been in existence?

Camilo Cantor: It’s new. As a building, it’s two months old. But as a project, it’s two years old.

Finance Colombia: OK. So it’s been under development. And what is the concept behind the need to create an exploratory lab?

Camilo Cantor: Well, we’re located in the northern part of Medellín. At the beginning, some time ago, it was quite a problem zone because of its location. One of the objectives was to recuperate the northern area so that people would come here. Because before it used to be a bit of a problem zone.

All of this area is now called the Innovation District. And Explora Park wanted to be part of that, and they held initiation workshops in technology — neighborhood meetings — so that they wouldn’t feel that this space was alien to their day-to-day life as a neighborhood.

Woodworking is also popular at Exploratorio. (Credit: Loren Moss)

Finance Colombia: So as not to put something into a neighborhood that has no connection with the neighborhood? 

Camilo Cantor: Right. So thanks to that, we set out on the first project called “Expanded Territory,” which was a project where we made labs for technology, communication, and electronics in the territories of Medellín.

We have the ability to reach out to each of the territories. After that, thanks to the support of the Secretariat of Economic Development of Medellín, Explora Park accepted the challenge to create a space like this.

Actually, Medellín already has these types of spaces in a few educational institutions. It has spaces in the “fab lab” at the National University of Colombia. Pontifical Bolivarian University also has a big fab lab, a textile laboratory. SENA, the National Service of Learning for Colombia, also has its laboratories, but you have to be registered.

Finance Colombia: Exactly. As a student or teacher or something related.

Camilo Cantor: Right. You have to be registered to be able to make use of the installed capacity that those institutions offer. So the park undertook to create an equipped experimental laboratory for the territories — for the common people.

That’s how they started out to create this space as a chance for people to come and make things. So while it is a space that only has been in operation for a little over two months, we have been working on it for two and a half years.

One of the many work areas at Exploratorio. (Credit: Loren Moss)

Finance Colombia: So who can actually use it? As in, what are the requirements and how do you get registered?

Camilo Cantor: Everyone can use it. It can be used in several ways. You can use it to give an open workshop. You can use it to present a project. Or you can use the 3D printer.

It’s not just that I come in and ask for the machine and start making something. The question is: Well, if it’s something commercial, what impact does it have? What social impact does it have? Are you going to teach others to make these boxes or whatever it is you’re making?

There are different models of participation. If the answer is, “I came because I need to make something commercial quickly.” Well, then there is a rate.

Finance Colombia: Because it’s something commercial, it’s not like I’m experimenting? I’m not doing a project for my high school, for example. So, if a citizen — someone who lives here in Medellín, a resident  — has a project and wants use the services here, what is the procedure that has to follow, or that he should follow?

Camilo Cantor: He has to fill out a form, and we look at it and see what it’s about. Recently, a company came and seemed like the perfect place to work.

But then we ask: For how long? What does the project entail? What do you want to make? What do you require? What are you going to leave for us?

View from the top as builders plan out their next big success story. (Credit: Loren Moss)

Finance Colombia: Do you offer, or are you going to offer, programs or training for the public?

Carlos Hamilton: There is an experimental activity that we want to do. We’re piloting some very small activities. One is a “rocket launcher.” The idea is that you take a bottle and use compressed air.

The idea is that we can re-use a lot of garbage that we have around the place. We can make a rocket out of a bottle, make the flaps for it, and fill it halfway full of water with a pump. And then you just put it in the launcher.

Finance Colombia: I remember I had one like that as a kid — one that you filled halfway with water.

Carlos Hamilton: Exactly. It’s the same thing. So, one of the illusions that come out of those very small activities is that people can feel that they have the ability to repeat it outside. And that’s also a part of the need for this kind of space.

We want the things that we do here to be repeated in other places. Not necessarily the structure, but the methodology and the ways to share.

Finance Colombia: And it’s practical, because once you get used to doing it, you will innovate from your own mind.

Carlos Hamilton: Exactly. Make it your own. Making the knowledge and the activities and everything you own. That’s what we want to happen here.