RM10k prize for APU’s 5G solution

Award-winning: (front row, from second left) Sarim, Loke, Chung, Arvin and Ng posing for the camera with (far left) Credit student Ravivarma Sivathasan, and (back row, from left) Vinesh, SoE head Assoc Prof Dr Siva Kumar Sivanesan, Narendran, Assoc Prof Dr Sathish Kumar and tutor Krishna Ravinchandra.

PROVING they have what it takes to pioneer 5G-enabled solutions, five students and their lecturer at Asia Pacific University of Technology & Innovation (APU) recently won recognition at a national hackathon.

They were the only finalist team made up of students and academics that triumphed over two competitors from industry at the grand final.

Representing the varsity’s Centre for Research and Development of IoT (Credit), Team APU Credit – comprising Bachelor of Engineering in Mechatronics Engineering students Loke Kun Ming, Chung Yu Qin, Arvin Ravindran and Sarim Ahmed Khalil, and Bachelor of Computer Engineering student Ng Joo Kiat – was named the Problem Statement 3 Winner at the MYStartup Hackathon X Digital Nasional Berhad (DNB).With the win, the team, led by Credit head and the varsity’s School of Engineering (SoE) senior lecturer Narendran Ramasenderan, took home a cash prize worth RM10,000.

For the grand final, they came up with a solution named Digital Twin Mavi Box Hub with 5G based on one of the three given problem statements.

“Our solution is an edge computing artificial intelligence-based computer vision solution which leverages 5G edge computing for onsite real-time inspection of quality, and health, safety, security and environment (HSSE) issues on the manufacturing floor.

“It leverages the power of 5G to transmit large swathes of visual sensory data from the plant to a digitally created manufacturing plant digital twin, dovetailing DNB’s aspiration for smart factories which harness the potential of 5G,” said Narendran in a press release.

Attributing their win to the technical depth and breadth of their user-centric solution, he added that his students showed resilience, and leveraged the experience and knowledge they had gained from projects in the Credit Lab and the SoE to come up with an innovative solution to the problem statement.

According to Narendran, Cradle Fund Sdn Bhd (Cradle) would invest in the full development of APU Credit’s solution with an agreed stake in its commercialisation.

This would eventually assist the startup in prototype building and further lead to venture building before it goes to the market.

APU chief innovation & enterprise officer Prof Dr Vinesh Thiruchelvam said the victory at the hackathon was only possible with the team bringing to the table ideas solidified by their passion for modernity and incorporating solutions via the advancement of digital technology.

Team APU Credit first took part in a four-day hackathon from Jan 6 to 9, before qualifying for the grand final held on Jan 14.

Organised by the Science, Technology and Innovation Ministry (Mosti) and run by Cradle, the hackathon was a programme under the ministry’s MYStartup initiative in partnership with DNB.

To prepare the participants for the hackathon, the organiser arranged a series of intensive masterclasses, one-on-one mentoring sessions, and boot camps.

The prize-giving ceremony was officiated by Cradle Ecosystem Development senior vice president Ahmad Kashfi Alwi, who gave out a cash prize of RM10,000 to each of the three winning teams.