Innovation for the less fortunate

TWO teams from the Monash University Foundation Year (MUFY) programme at Sunway College have emerged champion and second-runner up in this year’s Monash University Innovation Challenge.

The three-stage competition, based on the theme “Poverty”, was open to all pre-university students and required participants to develop innovative and practical solutions for the less fortunate in Malaysia.

Participants had to propose their ideas and build a prototype. Ten shortlisted teams had the chance to present their working prototypes to the panel of judges from Monash University Malaysia in the final stage.

A one-day workshop was held to teach students basic skills and knowledge to help with the construction of their prototypes.

Champions Jeffrey Loo Moon Seng, Loo Meng Yoon, Randy Chin Wei Jin and Nicholas Loong Kah Fai won RM5,000, thanks to their “Ultrasonic Obstacle Detector” – a walking stick accessory to enhance the mobility of the visually impaired.

The device, which is powered by renewable energy, uses ultrasonic sensors to detect obstacles higher than the walking stick.

“With the given topic being so broad, we decided to focus on the least addressed problems. After narrowing our options, we decided to go with a focus group that isn’t really well known throughout Malaysia – the visually impaired,” said Chin.

His task was mainly to manage the ideas and ensure that all team members were on the same wavelength.

Working around different personalities within the group and coming up with a single method to pull them all together was what he found most challenging.

For Loong, his participation in the competition was very educational.

“I learnt more about the blind and also not to overcomplicate ideas, as it could potentially bring up a new set of problems,” he said.

Loong also found the one-day workshop useful as it broadened their horizons and helped in developing their final product.

Loo believed their idea stood out from the rest because it was genuine and novel.

“I think what gave us the most credit was the fact that we visited the blind to acquire necessary knowledge about their daily lives and what needs to be solved.

“This way, we actually dived into real-life problems that are practical for us to solve rather than simply applying our scientific knowledge on products,” he said.

Meanwhile, Wong Zhi Wei, Izad Imran, Tan Tze Jie and Ashraf Alias took home RM2,000 with “Clip n Go” as the second-runner up.

The device uses motion and sunlight to charge a battery through a piezoelectric generator and solar cells. Worn on clothes during the day to charge, it lights up the homes of the less fortunate.

“Our solution is to improve the lives of those less fortunate who have no access to electricity and provide each of them with a source of light. Rather than using candles, which are flammable and costly, we invented a device that is portable and affordable.

“Our device functions as a light bulb. It is 15 times brighter than a single candle and can be charged through body motion and sunlight,” said Wong.

The solution was based on their main target audience – people from a village called Buu Tar Suu in Myanmar.

“The idea for ‘Clip n Go’ came from the appearance and functionality of our prototype since the device can be clipped onto a shirt or bag, and is portable enough to be carried anywhere,” said Ashraf.

He found his time in the MUFY programme helpful, especially in preparing the presentation slides.

“Both ICT units aided me in improving the quality of the slides and presentation. Our group was the only group that used a different software for our presentation. It helped boost our morale in the competition,” he said.

MUFY at Sunway College aims to equip students with relevant tools to be independent learners, concentrating not only on academics but also on out-of-classroom learning.

The programme is recognised by all local and Australian universities and is an academic bridge for students’ transition to undergraduate studies.

The curriculum encourages analytical and critical thinking, while the method of continuing assessment combined with final examinations focuses on knowledge application.

MUFY at Sunway College is an international programme in terms of its curriculum, recognition and enrolment with students from all over the globe. To date, over 12,000 students have graduated from the programme.

With a learning environment similar to Monash University, MUFY at Sunway College, with its dedicated and experienced lecturers, has maintained an excellent academic track record – students’ scores often surpass those from other MUFY providers.

Sunway College is the only provider of the MUFY programme in Malaysia. It is the largest and most established provider among all MUFY providers in Australia, China, Indonesia, Sri Lanka and Malaysia.

■ For more information, call 03-7491 8622, e-mail info@sunway.edu.my or log on to https://college.sunway.edu.my/programmes/ pre-u/mufy