IT takes only a fraudulent text message to trigger a few heart-pounding seconds of panic. As fear overpowers reason, a single hasty tap is all it takes to wipe out a lifetime's savings.
It was precisely to intervene in that critical moment that secondary students Muhammad Labeeb Aryan, Deborah Wong En Xuan and Isabelle Hii Yi Shin from SMK Lutong entered the Shell NXplorers Malaysia competition with a mission to build a digital safety net.
“We came up with ScamShield AI after seeing how common scams had become in Malaysia and how easily a convincing message could make someone panic,” the team recalls.
Competing as team ScamBusters, the trio targeted the psychological trap inside suspicious messages, asking: “What if a phone could analyse the actual message and warn the user before they react?”
The result is ScamShield AI, an Android app that acts as an “investigator in your pocket”.
Purpose-built for local realities, it scrutinises text messages, WhatsApp chats, links, QR codes and downloadable APK files.
Rather than issuing cryptic technical alerts, it delivers a clear risk score alongside plain-language explanations in Bahasa Melayu and English.
Most of the analysis processes directly on the smartphone, ensuring the app works offline while keeping personal messages strictly private.
Transforming their concept into a functioning tool brought steep technical challenges, including fixing background protection service crashes on certain mobile operating systems.
“That experience taught us that innovation is about repeatedly testing, failing, learning and improving together,” the team shares.
Each student brought a distinct strength. Muhammad Labeeb engineered compressed artificial intelligence (AI) models to run on budget devices, noting, “I learnt to break large problems into smaller ones.”
En Xuan led data research, explaining, “Good AI starts with responsible data and behind every data point there may be a real person who was targeted.”
Yi Shin championed user experience, adding, “Good design can make complicated technology feel simple, calm and useful.”
Their dedication earned them the Sarawak State Championship in the Shell NXplorers Malaysia competition and an invitation for Muhammad Labeeb to present ScamShield AI to CyberSecurity Malaysia.
Proud of this achievement, the innovative student emphasises: “My hope is that technology like this can give someone a warning at exactly the right moment, before fear or urgency causes them to lose their savings.”
Bridging tech and eldercare
While ScamShield AI guards against digital deception, another team of Sarawakian innovators turned their attention to protecting the physical well-being of the elderly.
For state runners-up Ephraim Wong Kung Xin, Chloe Wong Shi Yi and Nathanael Lim Yee Ning from SMK Bandar Bintulu's team Theory, the spark for their project hit remarkably close to family life.
Watching elderly family members struggle with daily multi-medication routines highlighted a pervasive social issue in an ageing society.
Inspired by a conversation with 75-year-old retiree Ho Chee Ping, who shared how confusing daily prescriptions could be, the team set out to restore safety and independence to senior care.
They came up with ElderCare AI, an automated medication recognition, sorting, reminder and health monitoring companion.
The device uses an ESP32-CAM and Optical Character Recognition (OCR) technology to read medicine labels and sort pills into designated compartments using servo motors.
At scheduled times, the correct compartment opens alongside light and sound prompts. If a dose remains untaken after 10 minutes, the app sends real-time alerts via Blynk and Telegram to caregivers.
The system also incorporates a MAX30102 sensor to monitor heart rate and blood oxygen levels, notifying family members if vital signs dip unexpectedly.
Engineering the prototype required significant adaptability. When initial attempts at image classification proved inconsistent, the students pivoted to OCR text recognition to boost accuracy.
Team leader Kung Xin says: “Writing code is not just about making a system function; it is about creating solutions that can improve lives. Through repeated testing, debugging and problem-solving, I learned to treat failures as opportunities for improvement.”
Each student found personal growth in overcoming these hurdles. Shi Yi focused on community outreach, noting, “We need to listen to the community we are trying to help so that we can solve the root problem.”
Meanwhile, Yee Ning physically built the prototype housing, sharing, “Sometimes we have to try, fail and redesign before getting the result we want. Perseverance is key.”
The team reiterates that ElderCare AI, ultimately, offers peace of mind to families while empowering seniors to age with dignity. Driven by their success, all three teammates aspire to pursue science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) careers.
Kung Xin advises other young changemakers, “Great innovations are built through collaboration and persistence. You just need the courage to take the first step.”
Nurturing changemakers
The inspiring journeys of ScamBusters and team Theory represent the tip of an innovative iceberg cultivated by the Shell NXplorers Malaysia programme.
Held at One Shell Square Miri (OSSM), the 2026 Sarawak Challenge brought together 183 students from eight secondary schools across the state, including SMK Lutong, SMK Bandar Bintulu, SMK Baru Bintulu, SMK Bintulu, SMK Bau, SMK Pujut, SM Sains Miri and SMK Taman Tunku.
Supported by the Education Ministry, the initiative engaged over 600 students from 29 schools across Malaysia, reaching an additional 1,000 peers through student-led knowledge sharing.
Both top teams will now carry Sarawak’s banner at the national Shell NXplorers Malaysia Challenge finale.
At its core, Shell NXplorers is a global educational initiative designed to empower secondary students to address complex food, water and energy challenges through systems thinking.
By introducing structured toolkits, such as the Perspective Circle, Connecting Circle and Feasibility Funnel, the curriculum helps students navigate interconnected social issues, evaluate real-world constraints and design scalable, human-centred technologies.
Highlighting the importance of youth innovation, Shell Malaysia Upstream’s Sarawak Central Luconia general manager Choong Yen Li says: “The challenges facing our world are increasingly complex, requiring a new generation of thinkers, creators and problem-solvers. At Shell, we believe the breakthroughs of tomorrow will come from the curious minds sitting in our classrooms today.
“By exposing students to engineering, digital technologies and automation, we hope to ignite a passion for problem-solving and equip them with the confidence, skills and opportunities to become the innovators and leaders of the future.”
The Sarawak Challenge also recognised other creative solutions, presenting the Most Innovative Award to team Nerd Inc from SMK Baru Bintulu for Calm Meadow, a confidential digital wellbeing platform designed to support student mental health.
Evaluated by a panel featuring Choong, Miri Education Department’s Dr Ling Mei Teng and Curtin University Malaysia’s Prof Dr Raymond Chiong Choo Wee, the event demonstrated how practical STEM toolkits can transform everyday empathy into real-world impact.
To learn more about Shell NXplorers Malaysia, click here.
