A Guide Robot for the Visually Impaired; a Landscape Design Project and a Sustainable Mobility Model: Ideas for Alicante's Future

On Friday, May 16, the Vectalia Mobility Chair presented its annual awards for the best Bachelor's and Master's theses related to mobility, submitted by students from the University of Alicante during the 2024/2025 academic year. These awards aim to recognize research in mobility and transport management, as well as to highlight innovation and best practices in this field.

The award for the best Bachelor's thesis was given to Carmen Losantos, who proposes developing a guide robot using the Unitree Go 1 robot. This robotics project aims to provide a solution to improve the mobility of visually impaired individuals, serving as an alternative to traditional guide dogs, offering advantages such as reduced training time and costs, and independence from biological factors affecting animals.

'The Re-naturalization of the Besieged Orchard', authored by Marina Sánchez, received one of the Master's thesis awards. This project is a landscape architecture work that describes the application of landscape design in tourist-residential urbanization projects in a specific area of Vega Baja, strategically integrating the ecosystem into the area's activity and mobility. Promoting public transport, improving cycling infrastructure, and reconfiguring urban space to favor pedestrian transit are essential elements in the regeneration of these urbanized environments. Through these strategies, the aim is to reduce territorial fragmentation, restore urban vitality, and ensure more resilient development adapted to future environmental challenges.

Lastly, the Master's thesis presented by Pablo Pinazo, 'Urban Activity and Children: Strategies to Promote Mobility', was the third project selected by the jury. This architecture work develops a sustainable mobility model that creates friendly and attractive environments for early-age transport use, fostering interaction among road users and public transport use. The study explores how public transport can be better integrated into the daily lives of children and families, not only as a functional alternative to private vehicles but also as a key element in education and awareness about sustainable mobility.

The award ceremony held last Friday was attended by representatives from Vectalia and the chair, as well as from the University of Alicante. Present were Ezequiel Moltó, Director of Communication and Institutional Relations at Vectalia; Raúl Cantero, Director of Urban Mobility at Vectalia; Virgilio Gilart Iglesias, Director of the Polytechnic School at the University of Alicante; Mauricio Úbeda, Technical Director of the Vectalia Mobility Chair; and Luis Aragonés, Academic Director of the Vectalia Mobility Chair.