Subang Jaya – A group of students from the Electrical Engineering and Electronic Engineering program at Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia (USIM) achieved remarkable success at the Robothon 2023 final competition held on October 21, 2023. This robotics competition was jointly organized by MRANTI, Katapult Asia, Scuttle Robotics Asia, MPC, and Intel Corporation.
The group from USIM, named Robotron, consisted of ten second and third-year students from the Faculty of Engineering and Built Environment (FKAB). They were led by Muhammad Fakhrur Razi Bin Muhamad Fauzi and guided by Dr. Noor Hanis Izzuddin Bin Mat Lazim and Dr. Khairul Nabilah Zainul Ariffin. They not only secured the MRANTI Special Mentioned Prize but also clinched third place overall, bringing home a total prize of RM4,000 and gaining access to the MRANTI laboratory for prototype development.
In this competition, participants were tasked with building robots to address challenges in various fields, including production, agriculture, logistics, retail, food and beverages, inventory management, digital shopping experiences, and safety. The organizers provided a basic robot kit for constructing the robots, and some industry representatives partnered with the event to present real-world problems that needed solutions.
The USIM students created a robot innovation named “intelligent cart” (INT-CART), designed for use in supermarkets. The INT-CART serves three essential functions: person-following, guiding, and scanning. In the person-following mode, the INT-CART robot automatically tracks the user. In the guide function, the user selects items via a screen display, prompting the robot to navigate to the relevant shelf without hassle. The third function involves scanning items to retrieve prices and suggest alternatives. In conclusion, this robot significantly enhances the shopping experience, especially for individuals with disabilities and parents with stroller.
Participation in the ROBOTHON competition not only allowed the students to gain practical experience in building robots but also offered them the opportunity to further develop their products during the product construction stage using MRANTI facilities. Furthermore, several investors have expressed interest in collaborating to invest in or develop this innovative product.
USIM participants embarked on their Robothon journey since last July, beginning with proposal papers and then developing the robot during the last semester break. The USIM team received valuable support from strategic partners, including Moverobotic Sdn. Bhd., Eureka Robotic Centre, Tombak Technology Sdn Bhd., and Retailetics Sdn Bhd., all of whom made significant contributions.
At the competition held at the DM Mall, 14 out of the 35 teams were selected to compete in the semi-finals and finals, representing both public and private universities. First place was secured by team from University Malaysia (UM), while Taylor’s University came in second, with USIM securing third place. Other participants included teams from Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM), University of Southampton Malaysia, Universiti Teknologi Petronas (UTP), Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM), Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM), DRB HICOM U, Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) and Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman (UTAR).
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