APU Team Secures First Place In Design Skill Competition 2021

Team Infinity's autonomous modular agricultural bot demonstrates a high level of inventiveness and precision.

Many sectors have undergone drastic transformations and progressed to the automated robotic era, especially agriculture, which involves nearly everything from seeding to fertilising to harvesting.

Various studies predict that tractors, harvesters, and soil cultivating equipment will someday be replaced by drones and others artificially intelligent robots.

Stepping up to this challenge, Zayan Rameez and Zifaan Abdulla, Mechatronics and Electrical and Electronics Engineering students from APU overcame eight other teams to take first place in the virtual Design Skill Competition 2021 co-organized by the IMechE Student Chapter, IMechE Young Members Section Malaysia Branch of APU and Monash University Malaysia. 

Judges Ts. Noor Shieela Kalib, Ir. Dr. Chua Yaw Long, Mr. Yip Yau Kean and Mr. Teh An Liang representing academia and industry selected the winners.

Team Infinity’s design was picked as the winner because it surpassed the other finalists in terms of ingenuity and precision. Their designs are capable of cultivating/ploughing, levelling, sprinkling, harvester, storage, and navigating according to the Industrial standards.

“Our design is a modular robot capable of doing key farming operations autonomously. The design was inspired by previous projects, Robocon, which we completed with the assistance of our mentor, Dr. Arun Seeralan and friends,” stated Zayan, representing Team Infinity. 

“The topics are given on the spot, and we did not expect to be able to complete the assigned task in such a short period of time.”

The Design Skill Competition welcomed all degree-seeking IMechE Student Affiliates from various Universities across the country to experience, learn, and cultivate their skills in 3D modelling and designing using SolidWorks software, which is a critical tool in most Engineering-based Industries and Institutions, especially in today's virtual world.

Team Fantastic 2 from the University of Malaya (UM), comprised of Yap Jinn Hxin and Saw Kah Kheng, came in first runners-up, while Team Stardust Mafia, Lim Poh Teck, and Risky Muhammad Irwan from Monash University Malaysia ended second runners-up. The top-3 winners received cash prizes, while other participants received e-certificates.

The organisers of Design Skill expressed their gratitude to APU Deputy Vice Chancellor and IMechE International Strategy Board Vice Chair, Prof. Ir. Ts. Dr. Vinesh Thiruchelvam, Universiti Tenaga Nasional (UNITEN) Vice Chair, International Young Member Committee at Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Ir. Dr. Chua Yaw Long, Academic Liaison Officer of APU IMechE Student Chapter, Dr. Arun Seeralan Balakrishnan, Academic Liaison Officer of Monash University, Assoc. Prof. Kenny Tan, Academic Liaison Officer of MUM IMechE Student Chapter, Ir. Dr. Tan Ming Kwang, IMechE YMS Malaysia Branch, APU School of Engineering, and Monash School of Engineering for their immense support in facilitating the event.