IMDEA Networks at the Madrid City & Science Biennial 2023

We participated for the first time in this outreach event held at the Círculo de Bellas Artes in Madrid

23 February 2023

IMDEA Networks has participated for the first time, together with the other IMDEA institutes, in the City and Science Biennial, an event held from February 21st to 26th at the Círculo de Bellas Artes in Madrid. In this edition, we have discussed about what it means to live on this planet, in the city, and how we can improve coexistence. Our research team has shown that sustainable technology is possible.

On Wednesday, February 22nd, IMDEA Networks and IMDEA Agua shared the María Moliner room to disseminate the excellent science being done in the Community of Madrid. IMDEA Networks PhD students Dayrene Frómeta and Javier Talavante gave a demo showing the benefits of LiFi (Light-Fidelity) technology and radio-frequency backscattering, low-power communication techniques that allow data to be delivered to battery-free IoT sensors that can simultaneously harvest energy from ambient light.

Students of all ages were able to see a prototype IoT communication device that operates without batteries and receives data sent by LED bulbs via solar cells. And finally, they tested their knowledge through a Kahoot game with which they could have fun and win a small gift from our institute.
In addition, the research team told the audience about one of their possible applications. They presented the startup LiFi4Food that implements this solution in precision agriculture. Vertical farming and automated greenhouses allow very efficient agri-food production. Therefore, they adapt the artificial lights present in these facilities to provide light for plant growth and energy and communication to our IoT devices, which are densely deployed to measure crop parameters and achieve optimal production.

Finally, Fidel Rodríguez Batalla, Vice-Minister of Universities, Science and Innovation of the Community of Madrid; Valerio Rocco, Director of the Círculo de Bellas Artes; and María Jesús García-Alarilla, General Manager of madrimasd visited our stand and were interested in the IMDEAs demos, congratulating the participants for their contribution to science and their work of dissemination to society.