10/11/2022

The Pi Center project is the subject of a lecture at Rio Innovation Week.

One of the projects developed by Centro Pi ( Center for Projects and Innovation IMPA) was the subject of a lecture on Wednesday night (9) at Rio Innovation Week, one of the main business and technology events in Latin America.

With the theme “Academic-Industrial Collaborations: Hashing,” IMPA project scientist Lucas Nissenbaum spoke about a joint project with the Globo group aimed at improving the recommendation of film and series titles offered by the broadcaster. To achieve this, the research group from the Pi Center developed machine learning algorithms to extract keywords capable of characterizing each title and grouping works with “similar” content.

“We are a center that fosters innovative collaborations that assist industries while simultaneously advancing mathematics,” concluded Nissenbaum, who also briefly discussed other projects at the institute: the development of an algorithm capable of aiding in credit decisions for the company Stone, and another algorithm that measures the volume of amniotic fluid in pregnant women.

The project scientist took the opportunity to comment on IMPA's presence at RIW. "I really like this approach taken by the Pi Center in uniting academia with industry, and I think Rio Innovation Week has many companies wanting to learn more, many startups wanting to think about artificial intelligence, and it's a very positive opportunity," he assessed.

Also participating in the event was Jorge Lopes, coordinator of technological projects at IMPA. With the theme "Transdisciplinarity in science and technology," the researcher presented some of the work developed in conjunction with other areas of science. One of them was the V-Horus (Virtual Egyptology) project, which recreated the body of the mummy Sha-amun-em-su, part of the Egyptian artifacts collection of the National Museum – which was damaged by a fire in 2018. Using the mummy's tomography scan, it was possible to create a virtual version.

"There were six different areas working together, and then we started using that same knowledge for other collections around the world. The most interesting thing about this is realizing that education is responsible for driving science and technology."

The researcher also discussed how three-dimensional ultrasound combined with virtual reality technology has enabled the 3D printing of fetuses. This method allows medicine to understand malformations or plan intrauterine intervention or intervention shortly after the baby's birth.

Rio Innovation Week

IMPA is present throughout Rio Innovation Week with a stand in the Science Village space, dedicated to institutes focused on scientific research. There, the public can learn about the projects developed at IMPA, especially at the Pi Center.

With programming running until Friday (11), the fair aims to promote integration between investors, entrepreneurs, executives, government representatives and future professionals, as well as transforming the State of Rio into a reference in innovation and technology.

In total, 700 speakers are participating in the event, discussing social entrepreneurship, agricultural innovations, startup investments, the metaverse, franchises, marketing and sales, 5G technology, and other topics. Among the speakers present are: Bruce Dickinson, lead singer of Iron Maiden; Steve Forbes, president and editor of Forbes; Camila Farani, entrepreneur, angel investor and RIW ambassador, and other prominent figures.