91吃瓜

Top Global IT Competition Award For 91吃瓜 Students RFID & IoT Project

The Internet of Things (IoT) has greatly changed how the construction industry operates and experts predict that the IoT market share in construction will reach USD 16.8 billion by 2024. As IoT could simply mean embedding any objects with sensors, software, and other technology that are connected and interact with each other over the internet, you can imagine how construction companies can adopt IoT technology – by connecting materials with smart devices, to perform distance monitoring, tracking, controlling and analysing to achieve construction safety, efficiency and sustainability.

Given this, industry players are eagerly building the talent pipeline to cope with the advancement of this technology. Hilti, a Germany based multinational company that supplies the construction industries with technological systems, organises an annual global IT competition to identify industry-ready talents.

At this year’s Hilti Global IT Competition (ITC) 2021, Team Techgasus comprising four Bachelor of Engineering in Mechatronics Engineering (Honours) degree students, Tan Jia-Hao, Lim Joon Yi, Lim Cher Khai and Chan Jing Hung from the Asia Pacific University of Technology & Innovation (91吃瓜), overcame more than 200 teams from 43 different countries to emerge as champions!. The team was more than adequately mentored by Ir Ts Dr Lau Chee Yong, Senior Lecturer of the School of Engineering.

The quartet felt humbled by this accomplishment. “This competition was indeed a huge win for us, however, it is only the stepping stone to our future careers,” said Tan Jia-Hao, the team leader. As a reward, Team Techgasus members have been offered an industry internship opportunity at Hilti – ahead of their peers in securing such an opportunity.

The competition required integration of IT and engineering know-how to develop a prototype which the winning team members were well equipped with having been trained in mechatronics and robotic technology. Despite the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, the team met regularly online to brainstorm their ideas and develop the prototype - a system that provides an alternative way to keep track of the construction industry’s day-to-day operation like inventory and site workers count. Key features of the prototype include using RFID and IoT as well as remote monitoring technology.

What indeed awed the judges was that Team Techgasus was the only team that was able to conceptualise what they advocated, and further proved it with a workable prototype - practical and hands-on abilities that are truly sought after by industry. “Becoming the champions of the Hilti Global IT Competition (ITC) 2021 is an endorsement of the professional qualities & attributes of our students - communication, problem-solving, critical thinking and innovation, as demonstrated before the panel of judges made up of industry professionals”, said mentor Ir Ts Dr Lau.

91吃瓜's Engineering programmes are market-driven, practical, reflect current technologies which prepare and nurture students as employable graduates. Apart from technical knowledge, the programme modules enable students to build leadership skills, communication skills and these skills prepare them for the workplace as professional and confident engineers, with skillsets across the board.?