IT IS a long way from Sandakan to Kota Kinabalu, and many Sabahans make the drive at night, beside heavy lorries.
Be it heavy eyelids or a glance at your phone, all it takes is a momentary lapse for an ordinary drive to turn dangerous.
That reality inspired three secondary school students from Sabah to build a device that stops accidents before they happen, and they set out to tackle that issue in this year’s Shell NXplorers Sabah Challenge held on Oct 19 at Plaza Shell in Kota Kinabalu.
Team Triangle from SM Sung Siew in Sandakan emerged as state champions for their clever invention, DriveShield.
The team, comprising Ivan Lam Jun Yin, Alan Romeo Roy Joseph Boguli and Izz Iqbal Rizqin Mohd Shamsul, said the idea began when they saw news reports of accidents caused by drivers who were drunk, asleep, smoking or on their phones.
“We were shocked that so many of these accidents could have been prevented. We wanted a solution that stops an accident before it happens, not after,” they recalled.
They explained that DriveShield is an affordable, AI- and solar-powered smart driver monitoring system that checks the driver before the engine even starts.
It also detects risky driving behaviours, such as drowsiness, mobile phone use, smoking and alcohol consumption.
Using sensors, an ESP32-CAM (compact Wi-Fi-enabled camera module) and Telegram integration, it provides real-time alerts and records incidents to encourage safer driving.
“When the system detects danger, it triggers a buzzer and sends a Telegram alert to the driver’s family or company,” they said.
“We hope lorry and bus companies, e-hailing drivers and parents of new drivers can use it, so that fewer families lose their loved ones on the road.”
However, finalising their invention was not without its difficulties, as they struggled with the technical aspects of creating the device.
“After we assembled everything, the camera, sensors and code stopped working together, and we had to test and fix it again and again.
“But instead of giving up, we worked together, shared what each of us knew and solved the problems one by one.”
Reflecting on his experience in the programme so far, Izz Iqbal said that he learnt the importance of persevering through difficulty.
“I used to give up when my code did not work, but now I am learning to debug step by step,” he said.
Ivan, on the other hand, said that they hope to continue refining the device in the coming years.
“I want to make the device smaller and add an infrared camera so it can also work at night, when many drivers feel sleepy,” he said.
Alan shared that he hopes the system can be implemented on roads in the near future.
“I hope our system can one day be used by transport companies in Sabah, so that drivers on our long roads get home safely to their families,” he said.
Smarter attendance tracking
Meanwhile, two other teams in the state challenge turned their attention to a daily school routine that often leads to frustration: recording attendance.
Runners-up, team Trecento Percento from SM All Saints, comprising Mark Dylan Disimon, Alvee Aylwin Tan and Aaron Anthony Rining Thien, developed Tag Tracker 300, an Arduino-based attendance system that uses RFID technology linked to Google Sheets for faster and more reliable attendance tracking.
Students can use RFID tags at the school gate, with their details automatically recorded and displayed on an LCD screen. This reduces manual work and waiting time while improving the flow of students at the entrance.
“The inspiration for our project was the struggle we had to endure when we lined up every day,” they said.
“Our goal is to reduce the number of students being late to class, prevent long queues at the school entrance and reduce the burden on teachers and security guards.”
The journey for the students brought highs and lows, from winning competitions to losing a teammate due to financial constraints, but they said that they overcame each hurdle as a team.
“Even if we lived through both the good and the bad, we faced them with optimism and treated them as a way to improve,” the team shared.
Alvee said that after taking part in the programme, he learnt to look at problems from different perspectives.
“Throughout my journey, I've learned to approach a problem with enthusiasm and a different way to think about that problem,” he said.
Both Aaron and Mark highlighted the importance of teamwork and collaboration.
“We often worry about looking like we don't know what we're doing, but the truth is nobody expects you to have everything figured out on your own.
“Reaching out isn't a sign of weakness – it's actually just a smart way to learn faster and connect with people who are usually more than happy to lend a hand,” said Aaron.
Mark added that, “Great teams are built on collaboration. When we drop the need to prove who’s right and focus on what’s best for the project, it creates space for everyone to share ideas freely and do their best work together.”
Meanwhile, another group, team Elsevier from SMK Lok Yuk, took home the Most Innovative Award for their smart attendance invention, Automark.
Unlike Tag Tracker 300, the Automark system uses fingerprint scanning to record student attendance in real time, with data automatically recorded and shared with teachers and parents, saving time and eliminating manual attendance tracking.
Empowering tomorrow’s problem-solvers
The Shell NXplorers Sabah Challenge involved 210 student participants from eight schools in the state.
Among the participating schools in Sabah were SMK Tamparuli, SMK Sanzac, SMK Taman Ria, SMK Lok Yuk, SM St. Peter Telipok, SMK Kolombong, SM Sung Siew and SM All Saints.
Both teams Triangle and Trecento Percento will now represent Sabah in the Shell NXplorers Malaysia national finals later this month.
Sabah Shell Petroleum Company Limited (SSPC) general manager Alexon Jong said that as the world faces increasingly complex challenges, the need for innovative thinkers and future-ready talent has never been greater.
“At Shell, we see immense potential in young minds to drive positive change. 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.
The judges for the Sabah challenge were Shell’s Sabah deepwater production manager Jinikol David Gusting, Sabah State Education Department learning sector assistant director Vivienne Imee Samuil and SMJ Energy Sdn Bhd chief legal and commercial officer Samantha Soong.
With the support of the Education Ministry, Shell NXplorers Malaysia engaged over 600 students from 29 schools nationwide while extending its impact to approximately 1,000 students through peer-to-peer learning.
To learn more about Shell NXplorers Malaysia, click here.
