Inspect-A-Gadget!

Fancy having a nifty gadget that helps you to spin-dry your mop, instead of having to do it yourself manually? Or what about an electronic stove monitor that helps to reduce kitchen fires? And if you love Sudoku, you would be thrilled with the digital handheld Sudoku player.

All these gadgets and more were exhibited recently at KDU UC School of Engineering’s 2010 Design & Innovation Expo. This ‘Design & Innovation Expo 2010’ initiative came about from the need of creating a platform in showcasing projects or products and devices fabricated and designed by the engineering students, as the School is moving heavily towards the Outcome Based Education model (OBE).

Students in teams worked on their projects, which would result in a functional product or device, with the aid of a supervisor and in the duration of at least one semester, and these projects would be judged and awarded by experts from industry. A total of 19 projects were showcased.

The Accident Alert System

Intelligent Eco-Friendly LED Street Light

Easy Life Spinner

Child Monitoring Device

Automated Smoke House

Guess who came to lend their support?

Malaysia’s Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yang Berhormat Senator Tuan A. Kohilan Pillay, was present to view the engineering students’ projects, together with KDU Director and Paramount Corporation CEO, Mr. Ong Keng Siew, KDU UC’s Deputy Vice Chancellor, Dr. Tan Hui Leng, Head, School of Engineering, Dr. Satesh Narayana Namasivayam, as well as industry experts from the engineering field.

Senator Kohilan viewing one of the projects 

One of the projects showcased is the Smoke House, which was commissioned and sponsored by KDU UC’s School of Hospitality, Tourism & Culinary Arts, A conventional smoke house imparts the flavor of smoking wood chips into the meat, but the new and improved version designed by the engineering students does a little bit more; it has a separate smoking compartment, stirs the wood chips automatically, ensures even smoke distribution, has an automatic temperature control and will use electric heating instead of gas.

The Smoke House, a project by students Ahmad Taufiq Bin Ismail and Ahmed Salah Abu Baker Ateigo, won the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) Best Poster Award.

Another project on the highlight is the ‘Easy Life Spinner’, one everyone (housewives especially!) would find to be a gem! The ‘Easy Life Spinner’ makes floor-mopping easier, as it has a spin-dry operation to drain and the dry the mop. All one has to do is place the mop into the drainer, push a button and ‘Voila!’ No more squeezing the mop with your bare hands anymore. The spinner also features an automatic water control valve that releases the dirty water.

Together with another project, the GSM Activated Earth Leakage Relay System, the Easy Life Spinner won the Selset New Zealand Marketability Award and were awarded RM500 each team.

Dr. Satesh Narayana Namasivayam, Head, School of Engineering, explained, “In essence, we hope that the presence of the industry at the Expo would bring about initiation of some collaboration between our students and the industry who might be interested in adopting and taking some of the more marketable and innovative products to the next level, perhaps resulting in full sponsorship in creating a prototype, producing a patent and ultimately commercialization. The benefit is solely for the student and this initiative enhances the students’ learning experience.”

Judging of the projects was based on the product’s capability of being innovative, marketable and environmentally friendly, the presentation skills of the team members as well as the design of the posters.

The judges included:

·         Mr. T. Linganathan -  Chief Executive Officer, Mahkota Research Sdn Bhd

·         Associate Prof. Dr. Vigna Kumaran Ramachandaramurthy - Deputy Dean of College of Graduates Study, University Tenaga Nasional

·         Ir. Leong Siew Meng - Senior Technical Advisor, Malaysia Green Technology Corporation

·         Mr. Nathawat Khunprasit - Head of Research & Development, Scomi Rail

Other sponsored awards the students won include the AVP SEA Best Project Award (Shake Flashlight), AVP SEA Innovation Award (Electric Guitar Using FPGA With the Technology), Technological Association of Malaysia Green Technology Award (Intelligent Eco-Friendly LED Street Lights), Northumbria University Best 2^nd Year Project Award (GSM Based Car Alarm System) and Northumbria University Best 3^rd Year Project Award (A Simple Digital Handheld Sudoku).

The Intelligent Eco-Friendly LED Street Lights won the Green Technology Award

The senator presents the Best Project Award

Dr. Satesh also said that students are hoped to experience the “learning by doing” pedagogy. “Early on in the undergraduate journey, the students experience working in a team and learning about advanced engineering concepts. We’re moving away from the traditional method of carrying out laboratory experiments and want to create a learning experience where it is more student-centered,” he said.

The day also saw AVP and KDU signing a Memorandum of Understanding to work together in developing the IT Technopreneurship Programme, as well as other collaboration ventures. Under the MoU, KDU will provide AVP with Professional Training and Certification courses, while AVP will serve as an advisory member for KDU and as a training partner for KDU students. 

Mr. Ong presenting the senator with a token of appreciation