Instituto de Ciencias de la Ingeniería (ICI)

El Instituto de Ciencias de la Ingeniería tiene como misión principal el desarrollo de investigación de punta en áreas relacionadas con las ciencias físicas y matemáticas, las ciencias aplicadas y las ciencias de la ingeniería en sus diversos ámbitos, en un contexto de trabajo multidisciplinario e interdisciplinario.

Tiene como foco las problemáticas provenientes de la Región del Libertador Bernardo O’Higgins, generando conocimiento y desarrollo tecnológico con una proyección global. En particular el Instituto busca una fuerte interacción con las principales áreas productivas de la región, incluyendo la agroindustria y la minería, entre otras. Junto con esto, la vinculación con el medio juega un rol crucial, incluido el continuo trabajo con los múltiples actores regionales, y la divulgación y transferencia de su quehacer investigativo en el ámbito social y productivo.

Noticias

Jueves 29, Mayo

Rectora UOH entrega a Gobernador Pablo Silva el documento final de la Estrategia Regional de Desarrollo

La ERD es el instrumento que guiará la planificación territorial y políticas públicas de O’Higgins durante el período 2025-2036 y fue ejecutada -conjuntamente- por el Gobierno Regional y la UOH.

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Miércoles 28, Mayo

Región de O’Higgins da un salto hacia la medicina de precisión con supercomputación aplicada a la salud pública

Hospital Regional Dr. Franco Ravera Zunino y la Universidad de O’Higgins lanzan proyecto pionero en el país que conecta análisis del genoma chileno, inteligencia artificial y supercomputación para mejorar diagnósticos y tratamientos contra el cáncer.

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Martes 27, Mayo

Radares meteorológicos: una necesidad urgente

Un nuevo tornado ocurrido en Puerto Varas recordó que estos fenómenos sí pueden ocurrir en algunas zonas del país y generar destrozos significativos. Los radares meteorológicos pueden ayudar en su detección.

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702

Publicaciones
Todos

292

Proyectos
Todos

130

Proyectos
En Ejecución

Proyectos

  • FONDEF IT23I0012
  • Diciembre 2025 - Diciembre 2025
AdjudicadoIEEE RAS

Fondos para apoyar la realizacion de la Fourth Latin American Summer School on Robotics (LACORO 2025). La primera edición se realizó online en octubre de 2020; la segunda fue presencial en enero de 2023; la tercera 2024 en la Universidad de O'Higgins en Rancagua, Chile. La cuarta edición tendrá lugar en diciembre de 2025 en la Universidad de O'Higgins. https://lacoro.org/ Esta Escuela de Verano beneficiará principalmente a Estudiantes y Académicos de las Américas interesados en la Investigación en Inteligencia Artificial aplicada a la Robótica. Nuestro objetivo es fomentar la colaboración nacional y regional en esta área de investigación. Para la primera edición, alcanzamos 241 inscripciones para actividades online de todo el mundo, y la segunda versión tuvo 166 inscripciones para actividades presenciales en enero de 2023, principalmente de Chile, México, Argentina, Brasil y Uruguay.
Investigador/a Responsable
  • 243587898
  • Diciembre 2025 - Diciembre 2025
AdjudicadoIEEE RAS

Fondos para apoyar la realizacion de la Fourth Latin American Summer School on Robotics (LACORO 2025). La primera edición se realizó online en octubre de 2020; la segunda fue presencial en enero de 2023; la tercera 2024 en la Universidad de O'Higgins en Rancagua, Chile. La cuarta edición tendrá lugar en diciembre de 2025 en la Universidad de O'Higgins. https://lacoro.org/ Esta Escuela de Verano beneficiará principalmente a Estudiantes y Académicos de las Américas interesados en la Investigación en Inteligencia Artificial aplicada a la Robótica. Nuestro objetivo es fomentar la colaboración nacional y regional en esta área de investigación. Para la primera edición, alcanzamos 241 inscripciones para actividades online de todo el mundo, y la segunda versión tuvo 166 inscripciones para actividades presenciales en enero de 2023, principalmente de Chile, México, Argentina, Brasil y Uruguay.
Co-Investigador/a
  • ID25I10198
  • Agosto 2025
AdjudicadoAgencia Nacional de Investigación y Desarrollo - ANID

Herramientas de machine learning y optimización para mejora de calidad de soluciones de ruteo de vehículos y última milla

[vc_section el_class="container mx-auto align-items-center circle--pattern" css=".vc_custom_1648956589196{padding-top: 3rem !important;}"][vc_row el_class="pb-5"][vc_column][vc_wp_custommenu nav_menu="6"][uoh_breadcrumb_component automatic_breadcrumb="true"][uoh_title_component title_dropdown="big" title_decorator="true"]{{title}}[/uoh_title_component][vc_column_text css=""]El proyecto pretende desarrollar una herramienta que mejore la calidad de servicio en las rutas entregadas a los distintos clientes de Simpliroute, empresa nacional que entrega servicios de ruteo y recomendaciones de logística de última milla. Este desarrollo es en dos principales ámbitos. Primero, poder mejorar la capacidad de rutear a todos los clientes requeridos, detectando y anticipando con IA las ocasiones en donde el algoritmo de ruteo actual no encuentra una solución factible. El objetivo es detectar anticipadamente estos problemas de infactibilidad y proponer alternativas para entregar una mejor solución de ruteo. Segundo, usar la información de ajuste de rutas de los vehículos (detenciones, órdenes de visita, entre otros) para “aprender” de estos cambios usando IA, y mejorar la siguiente ruta a entregar. El prototipo a desarrollar se probará con las instancias de ruteo de diferentes clientes evaluando la calidad de servicio de la ruta y el reparto que realizan en sus operaciones.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][/vc_section][vc_section css=".vc_custom_1649209804184{background-color: #f6faff !important;}" el_class="p-md-0 pt-md-5"][vc_row el_class="container mx-auto align-items-center p-md-0 pt-5"][vc_column el_class="p-0"][/vc_column][/vc_row][/vc_section][vc_section css=".vc_custom_1649210787516{background-color: #f6faff !important;}" el_class="p-md-0 pt-md-5 pb-md-5"][vc_row el_class="container mx-auto align-items-center"][vc_column][/vc_column][/vc_row][/vc_section]
Co-Investigador/a
  • 3240062
  • Mayo 2025 - Abril 2028
AdjudicadoAgencia Nacional de Investigación y Desarrollo - ANID

This research proposal aims to study the long-term behavior of solutions to partial differential equations arising from dispersive dynamics, kinetic models, and integro-differential dynamics in ecology; and to study extremals of functional inequalities in connection to the ground states of partial differential equations arising from quantum mechanics and diffusion phenomena. Five major topics are proposed: Relativistic quantum mechanics, Dirac operators and functional inequalities; Symmetry breaking in weighted functional inequalities and weighted diffusions; long time dynamics in dispersive PDEs in one space dimension; long-term dynamics in nonlocal models from ecology; and hypocoercivity and decay to equilibrium in kinetic models with heavy tails. The first topic focuses on establishing connections between spectral problems and functional inequalities for Dirac operators. The aim is to analyse the symmetry of optimal spinors in inequalities of Keller-Lieb-Thirring type, and to obtain the solitary waves of Soler-type nonlinear Dirac equations as optimizers of a nonlinear inequality. The second topic aims to characterize a symmetry range in which optimal functions are radially symmetric for weighted logarithmic Sobolev inequalities and a new family of Caffarelli-Kohn-Nirenberg inequalities. A nonlinear carré-du-champ method will be adapted to prove entropy-type estimates. Rigidity, perturbation, and stability issues will be addressed. The third topic seeks to study the asymptotic stability of topological and non-topological solitions for a class of dispersive PDEs in dimension one. A new method is proposed, based on perturbations in weighted spaces with exponential weights, on the so-called virial identities, and on the study of existence of breathers. The fourth topic concerns the description of evolutionary stable strategies of long-term dynamics of integro-differential models that arise in the modeling of structured populations, and to obtain qualitative and quantitative insights on the concentration dynamics. In the fifth topic, the aim is to extend the Dolbeault-Mouhot-Schmeiser method to study the large-time behavior of solutions for a broad family of kinetic equations in which the confinement potential exhibits heavy tails. The goals of this project are multiple: to strengthen and to create new collaborative research networks between France and Chile in the field of nonlinear partial differential equations and applications, to publish co-authored articles in top-tier journals and disseminate the results in international meetings, and to promote the formation of advanced human capital. In order to achieve these goals, yearly workshops will be organized in France and Chile to account for the progress of the investigations as well as to encourage the participation of students and young researchers. International training of doctoral and postdoctoral researchers will be ensured by allocating resources from this project for exchanges. Considering the history of successful collaboration amongst the members of this project, and their expertise in their research fields, we are confident about the successful termination of the project. In particular, we expect to pave the way for new research avenues. The main scientific contribution of this proposal involves adapting state-of-the-art techniques from PDEs and nonlinear analysis to obtain qualitative and quantitative results for variational problems and partial differential equations, in which the setting plays a crucial role: complex-valued matrices (first topic), nonlinear and weighted (second topic), strongly nonlinear and dispersive (third topic), nonlocal (fourth topic), general assumption on the tail of the confining potential (fifth topic). This proposed research will provide insights into spectral theory, stability theory of equilibria of differential equations, optimal rates of convergence to equilibria, and their relation to optimal constants in functional inequalities. The expected results will help improving the understanding of various real-life phenomena, including population-dynamics, relativistic quantum mechanics, and diffussion processes. The viability of the project is sustained on the expertise of the members of the Chilean and French research teams, including experts in partial differential equations, nonlinear analysis, calculus of variations, and mathematical physics. Their successful collaboration record and significant contributions to these fields only strengthen the potential of this proposal. In conclusion, the present research project will not only foster the scientific cooperation between Chile and France but it will also provide meaningful advancements in the aforementioned fields and their application to various physical phenomena.
Investigador/a Responsable
  • FONDECYT Regular n°1231930
  • Abril 2025 - Marzo 2028
AdjudicadoAgencia Nacional de Investigación y Desarrollo - ANID

Combinatorial objects frequently appear in various areas of computer science and discrete mathematics. These objects are central to questions in algorithmic design, where we aim to program a computer to efficiently perform tasks involving them. These tasks may include counting objects based on certain parameters, sampling an object uniformly at random, optimizing with respect to an objective function, searching for objects that satisfy specific properties, or generating all objects exactly once. This project focuses on two of these problems: combinatorial generation and the search for highly distinct combinatorial objects. While many of the aforementioned tasks have general-purpose techniques that allow them to tackle multiple problems simultaneously, the situation becomes less clear when dealing with combinatorial generation or the search for distant objects. Much of the effort in these areas has been devoted to developing ad hoc methods. Despite this, these last two problems can be naturally phrased in the language of flip graphs, which encode the similarity between combinatorial objects. In this context, the problem transforms into the traditional graph problems of Hamiltonicity (finding a path that traverses all the vertices exactly once) and diameter (finding two vertices that are farthest apart). Recent research has highlighted the significant value of exploiting polytopal properties and symmetry of flip graphs, leading to unified frameworks that can address many problems simultaneously. The main objective of this project is to contribute to this perspective. Specifically, it aims to enhance our understanding of the polytopal and symmetric properties of flip graphs and use this knowledge to develop efficient algorithms for tackling Hamiltonicity and diameter problems
Co-Investigador/a
  • IDI40048446-0
  • Abril 2025 - Marzo 2029
AdjudicadoAgencia Nacional de Investigación y Desarrollo - ANID

Plants, with their two-layered immune system, are equipped to combat pathogen invasion. The first layer, Pattern Triggered Immunity (PTI), is a powerful defense mechanism. It relies on Pattern Recognition Receptors (PRRs) to detect Microbe-Associated Molecular Patterns (MAMPs) from microbes, triggering a robust defense response. This response, including signaling cascades, gene expression changes, and production of antimicrobials and defense hormones, contributes to restricting pathogen colonization. PTI activation can trigger a systemic response known as Induced Systemic Resistance (IRS), enhancing plant defenses throughout the organism and leading to Non-Host-Resistance. The potential of PTI activation to enhance a plant's overall defensive capacity is a promising strategy to improve crop health. PTI activation at infection sites triggers the production of mobile signals within the plant, which then spread IRS throughout the plant, enhancing its overall defensive capacity. Flg22 and xyn11, two well-known MAMPs, trigger PTI in tomato, activating various defense responses and, interestingly, including IRS in tomatoes and other plants. Plant roots, often overlooked in discussions of plant immune systems, possess their own immune system, though less potent than leaves. They respond to MAMPs like Flg22 and chitin, but with weaker production of defense chemicals. Despite this difference, roots activate various defenses like PR proteins and callose deposition. Uniquely, roots secrete antifungal secondary metabolites like flavonoids. These root exudates play a crucial role in shaping the surrounding microbiome, attracting beneficial microbes, and possess antimicrobial activity itself. Studies have shown that root exudate composition can be manipulated to influence the soil microbiome and potentially enhance plant growth. This underlines the importance of considering roots in our understanding of plant immune systems, particularly how defense responses are displayed in the root after immune activation in leaves in terms of a systemic immune response. This often overlooked aspect is crucial for a comprehensive understanding of plant immunity. Plants and microbes communicate two-way, establishing an interaction, by instance, plant root exudates influence the composition of the rhizosphere microbiome, which in turn regulates plant growth and immunity. Research suggests that specific bacteria within the rhizosphere microbiome can enhance plant immunity. In fact, transplanting the microbiome from a resistant tomato variety to a susceptible one improved disease resistance. Understanding this plant-microbiome-soil interaction is crucial for developing sustainable agriculture. Our ongoing research investigates how soil type influences tomato immunity and its connection to the soil microbiome. Preliminary results show that different soil types affect the strength of plant immunity responses, even though the overall bacterial types (phyla) are similar. Interestingly, specific bacterial isolates from a soil type with higher immunity were able to directly trigger plant defense mechanisms. Unraveling the intricate interplay between soil type, the rhizosphere microbiome, and tomato immunity holds the key to unlocking sustainable and resilient agricultural practices. This proposal aims to investigate the potential of targeted Pattern-Triggered Immunity (PTI) activation in tomato leaves to enhance plant defense against diverse pathogens. We hypothesize that leaf application of microbial elicitors (flg22 and Xyn11) will trigger PTI, leading to changes in root gene expression and root exudate composition. These alterations are expected to enrich beneficial bacteria in the rhizosphere microbiome, ultimately enhancing resistance against both the foliar pathogen Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato and the soil-borne pathogen Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. lycopersici. To achieve this, we have defined three specific objectives: 1) Evaluate the impact of leaf-applied elicitors on pathogen susceptibility, root gene expression, root exudate composition, and soil microbiome composition. 2) Develop synthetic exudates mimicking PTI-activated plants and construct synthetic microbial communities potentially containing beneficial bacteria. 3) Assess the effectiveness of leaf-applied elicitors and synthetic microbial communities on the root microbiome and plant health under field conditions. With this, we aim to elucidate the mechanisms by which leaf-based PTI activation influences root-level processes and shapes the rhizosphere microbiome to enhance tomato plant defense against various pathogens. The findings hold promise for developing novel and sustainable strategies for disease management in tomato production.
Co-Investigador/a

Publicaciones

  • REVISTA Automatica
  • 2025

Transmit power policies for stochastic stabilisation of multi-link wireless networked control systems


• Alejandro I. Maass • Dragan Nesic • Romain Postoyan • Vineeth S. Varma • Samson Lasaulce

http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.automatica.2024.111936

  • REVISTA SIAM Journal on Mathematical Analysis
  • 2025

A relaxation approach to the minimisation of the neo-Hookean energy in 3D


• Marco Barchiesi • Duvan Henao • Carlos Mora-Corral • Rémy Rodiac

http://dx.doi.org/10.1137/23M1614547

  • REVISTA Bulletin of Engineering Geology and the Environment
  • 2025

A revised comprehensive inventory of landslides induced by the 2007 Aysén earthquake, Patagonia


• Alejandra Serey

http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10064-024-04057-2

  • REVISTA Neurocomputing
  • 2025

Event-based optical flow: Method categorisation and review of techniques that leverage deep learning


• Robert Guaman • Jose Delpiano • Rodrigo Verschae

http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.neucom.2025.129899

  • REVISTA Annals of Operations Research
  • 2025

On λ-Cent-Dians and Generalized-Center for Network Design: Definitions and Properties


• Víctor Bucarey • Natividad Gonzalez-Blanco • Martine Labbé • Juan Antonio Mesa

http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10479-025-06536-5

  • REVISTA Neurocomputing
  • 2025

Event-based optical flow: Method categorisation and review of techniques that leverage deep learning


• Robert Guaman • Jose Delpiano • Rodrigo Verschae

http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.neucom.2025.129899

Recursos

Descarga Documentos, Videos y Material disponible del instituto para uso público

Tipo de recurso :video

SCoPE Lab UOH

Tipo de recurso :video

Seminario de Electromovilidad 2024

Tipo de recurso :video

Aberraciones en comuna de Navidad

Tipo de recurso :video

Semana de la Ingeniería UOH 2024

Tipo de recurso :video

Semana de la Ingeniería 2023

Contacto

Instituto de Ciencias de la Ingeniería