KOTA KINABALU: Concerned by the number of fatal accidents involving students near schools and pedestrian crossings which have been happening frequently over the past year, a group of students have decided to invent a device that might help reduce these cases.
From SM Sung Siew Sandakan, these group of students with the group name Triangle came up with an artificial-intelligent (AI) powered system called DriveShield which helps in the detection of risky driving behaviours among other things to boost safer driving.
This affordable system also helps detect drowsiness, mobile phone use, smoking and alcohol consumption via sensors, an ESP32-CAM (a control board with built in camera), solar power and Telegram integration.
This invention, which won the Shell NXplorers Malaysia 2026 Sabah Challenge on Monday, provides real-time alerts including sounding the alarm and lights while recording incidents to encourage safer driving while reducing reliance on conventional power sources.
With members Ivan Lam Jun Yin, Alan Romeo Roy Joseph Boguli and Izz Iqbal Rizqin Mohd Shamsul, the DriveShield system impressed judges with this creative solution which can be utilised in the mass market.
The students felt that there were too many accidents which cannot be ignored, but not enough safety measures and awareness on road safety that appealed to the public.
“That is why we felt that DriveShield is something that every driver can benefit from,” said Lam.
His schoolmates said the programme pushed them to think critically, work together and develop practical solutions to real-world challenges.
Along with the second runner up, they will be representing Sabah to the national level competition in Peninsular Malaysia at the end of October.
First runner ups Mark Dylan Disimon, Alvee Aylwin Tan and Aaron Anthony Rining Thien of Trecento Percento (SM All Saints Kota Kinabalu) impressed judges with Tag Tracker 300, an Arduino-based attendance system to track student attendance.
This uses RFID (Radio-Frequency Identification) technology linked to Google Sheets for faster and more reliable attendance tracking.
Students scan their RFID tags at the school gate, with their details displayed on an LCD screen and automatically recorded, hence reducing manual work and waiting time while improving the flow of students at the entrance.
Meanwhile, the Most Innovative Award was presented to ELSEVIER from SMK Lok Yuk for AUTOMARK, a similar attendance recording system but one that uses fingerprint scanning to record student attendance in real time.
Students scan their fingerprint upon arrival, and the data is automatically recorded and shared with teachers and parents, saving time and eliminating manual attendance tracking.
Shell NXplorers is a global education programme that empowers students to tackle real-world food, water and energy challenges through critical thinking and systems thinking.
Alexon Jong, General Manager of Sabah Shell Petroleum Company Limited (SSPC) said by equipping participants with practical tools and frameworks, the programme helps nurture the next generation of innovators and problem-solvers.
“As the world faces increasingly complex challenges, the need for innovative thinkers and future-ready talent has never been greater.
“By introducing students to critical thinking, engineering, digital technologies and automation, we hope to inspire them to reimagine possibilities, solve real-world problems and become the leaders and innovators of tomorrow,” he said.
Other participating schools this year included SMK Tamparuli, SMK Sanzac, SMK Taman Ria, SMK Lok Yuk, SM St. Peter Telipok and SMK Kolombong.
Supported by the Education Ministry, Shell NXplorers Malaysia engaged over 600 students from 29 schools nationwide, including 210 participants from Sabah, while extending its impact to around 1,000 students through peer-to-peer learning.
