The Chilean Navy will launch the third edition of Desafío Avante at Innovapolinav 2022

This open innovation initiative seeks to solve the institution’s problems through science- and technology-based ventures.

Source: Infodefensa

The Chilean Navy (Armada de Chile) will launch the third edition of Desafío Avante at the Naval Polytechnic Academy’s (Apolinav) Innovapolinav 2022 Public Innovation Meeting.

Avante is an open innovation initiative created in 2020 that focuses on solving the institution’s problems through science-based startups (EBCTs) that also have potential civilian applications, thereby strengthening the national research, development and innovation ecosystem.

The activity is organized by Apolinav and the Navy’s Directorate of Programs, Research and Development (Diprida), in partnership with the U.S. Office of Naval Research (ONR) and Know Hub Chile.

Driving national development

The director of Diprida, Rear Admiral Fernando Le Dantec, told the Chilean Navy’s Revista Vigía that the challenge “has become a tool that takes our engagement with the innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem to a new level, where we can count on professionals from diverse fields and backgrounds serving our Navy as we seek to close the gaps in defense-oriented technological development.”

The rear admiral said that this initiative, linked to the Ministry of Science’s Public Challenges, or the recent internal challenge for Navy specialists called Rizo, “make it possible to organize the different perspectives on the challenges posed by naval work, with contributions to the civilian world, positioning the institution as a player that drives national development.”

Regarding the new edition of Desafío Avante, Le Dantec said that “it is in the stage of identifying, characterizing and determining the gaps involved in managing large volumes of data for decision-making. This theme was chosen because of its cross-cutting impact on the Navy, since data analysis models have applications in areas as different as shipbuilding and personnel health.”

“We are analyzing the possibility of changing the data management model to a service-oriented architecture, where it is feasible to have software tools that provide flexibility and agility and that do not necessarily come from the same manufacturer, as is the case with self-contained systems. This will allow the different players within the institution to develop new tools for greater effectiveness and efficiency in each of their management areas,” said Le Dantec.

Technological innovation

The first edition of Desafío Avante, held in 2020, focused on solving challenges identified by the Chilean Navy related to Maritime Domain Awareness (MDA).

Acústica Marina won that edition. The company presented a vessel detection system using hydroacoustic technology with real-time data processing to improve the quality of information.

The second edition of Desafío Avante took place in 2021, and this time the challenges were related to the availability of naval assets. The first challenge was Remote Engineering Systems Diagnosis and Remote Technical Assistance through collaborative augmented reality tools.

The winner of Desafío Avante 2021 was Jaksol, a predictive and prescriptive maintenance platform for engineering systems that uses vital-sign measurements to improve the planning and management of naval assets.