When seven is a lucky number

AN intelligent digital rectal exam (DRE) device and a packaging solution for an e-commerce business platform were among the innovations that won seven students at Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman (UTAR) top prizes at a recent competition involving students from Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore and Taiwan.

For their participation at the 2022 University Alliance in Talent Education Development (UAiTED) Innovation Competition, competing students formed cross-institution and cross-regional teams from UAiTED member universities in these countries to come up with innovative solutions based on the themes of Healthy Lives, Education, Ecosystem for Innovation, Climate Action and Sustainable Energy, which are part of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Coming out tops among eight competing teams at the final held on Aug 13 was Team SGF, of which UTAR Lee Kong Chian Faculty of Engineering and Science (LKC FES) student Yeoh Zhao Wei was a member.

The team, who focused on the Healthy Lives theme, walked away with the gold award worth US$5,000 (RM22,493) for their DRE device designed to improve patients’ and doctors’ willingness to accept a DRE.

Yeoh said in a UTAR press release that working on the theme was a way for him to use his ideas to help substantially reduce the number of deaths and illnesses caused by hazardous chemicals, and air, water and soil pollution and contamination.

He added that joining the competition allowed him the opportunity to improve his collaboration skills and create an innovative idea that could potentially change the world.

Bagging the silver award worth US$3,500 (RM15,745) was Team Envero comprising the varsity’s Faculty of Engineering and Green Technology students Wong Sin May, Long Chik Mun and Ng Yi Van, and Faculty of Information and Communication Technology student Tan Kah Hsing. Having chosen the Ecosystem for Innovation theme, the students designed a packaging solution provider for an e-commerce business platform.

According to the press release, their theme choice was born of individual reasons – Wong wanted to innovate a facility or a new business model which would benefit consumers, Long to install green roofs on smaller structures such as bus stops and walkways as opposed to larger structures; Yi Van to create a self-sustaining smart plantation site; and Tan to produce a sustainable solution that would help the community and the environment.

On why they joined the competition, Wong said she liked taking up challenges and the opportunity of working with people from different backgrounds and widening her connections; Long shared his interest in trying new things and gaining valuable extracurricular knowledge; Yi Van expressed his interest in innovative competitions; while Tan said he loved the challenge of solving real-life issues using the skills and ideas he had obtained.

Coming in third at the competition were Team Nova Fascia and Team Tree.io, who each won US$2,500 (RM11,246).

UTAR Centre for Foundation Studies student Mark Ng Jun Qi, who was part of Team Nova Fascia, said he had set his sights on the Healthy Lives theme as he believed that to cure diseases, new innovative technology must be introduced alongside the learning of new skills.

Opting for the Climate Action theme, LKC FES student Chen Zi Mun, who was part of Team Tree.io, had worked on incorporating waste materials like expanded polystyrene beads and kenaf fibre into concrete to produce bricks.

On their motivation to join the competition, Mark said he wanted to make the world a better place with his ideas, while Chen hoped she could contribute to the innovation of future technology with what she had learnt in her studies.

Held to leverage high-tech innovation to facilitate ideas and solutions for problems related to some categories among the 17 SDGs, the 2022 UAiTED Innovation Competition was also aimed at facilitating cross-regional, multicultural and interdisciplinary global talent development.