Pioneering 5G-Enabled Solutions For The Industry

APU materialising MYStartup Hackathon X DNB winning project with CRADLE

With the advent of 5G, a network that is designed to connect virtually everyone and everything together, the tech-savvy younger generation is eager to pioneer new and exciting 5G-enabled solutions ubiquitously.

Lately, six comrades from the Centre of Research and Development of IoT (CREDIT) at the Asia Pacific University of Technology & Innovation (APU), leveraged 5G for manufacturing plant onsite real-time inspection, typically tackling Quality Assurance (QA), as well as Health, Safety, Security, and Environment (HSSE) issues.

Led by Ir. Narendran Ramasenderan, the Head of CREDIT and Senior Lecturer at the School of Engineering (SoE), Team APU CREDIT was announced as the Problem Statement 3 Winner at MYStartup Hackathon X DNB and won RM10,000 cash prize.

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Celebrating the victory of Team APU CREDIT at MYStartup Hackathon X DNB, Ir. Narendran (3rd from left, standing row) and team members flanked by APU’s CIEO Prof. Ir. Eur. Ing. Ts. Dr. Vinesh Thiruchelvam (from 1st left, standing row), SoE Head Assoc. Prof. Ir. Dr. Siva Kumar Sivanesan, SoE Assoc. Prof. Ts. Dr. Sathish Kumar, and SoE Tutor Mr Krishna Ravinchandra.

The team members consisted of Bachelor of Engineering in Mechatronics Engineering students - Loke Kun Ming, Chung Yu Qin, Arvin Ravindran, Sarim Ahmed Khalil, and a Bachelor of Computer Engineering student Ng Joo Kiat.

The hackathon was a programme under the MYStartup initiative in partnership with Digital Nasional Berhad (DNB), organised by the Ministry of Science, Technology, and Innovation (MOSTI) and was run by Cradle Fund Sdn. Bhd. (CRADLE).

Team APU CREDIT first took part in a four-day hackathon from January 6 to 9, and subsequently concluded it with a solution named Digital Twin Mavi Box Hub with 5G based on the problem statement.

There were three problem statements given towards the grand final held on January 14 at WORQ KL Gateway. The organiser arranged a series of intensive masterclasses, one-on-one mentoring sessions, and boot camps on top of the hackathon.

Team APU CREDIT further proved its mettle as it was the only finalist made up of academicians and students, who further triumphed over two competitors from the industry at the grand final.

“Our solution is an edge computing AI-based computer vision solution which leverages 5G edge computing for onsite real-time inspection of quality and HSSE issues on the manufacturing floor.

“It leverages the power of 5G to transmit large swathes of visual sensory data from the plant to a digitally created manufacturing plant digital twin, dovetailing DNB’s aspiration for smart factories which harness the potential of 5G,” explained Ir. Narendran.

The prize-giving ceremony was officiated by Senior Vice President of Ecosystem Development, CRADLE, Ahmad Kashfi Alwi, who gave out a cash prize of RM10,000 to each winning team. Three winners secured an opportunity to present their solutions in more detail to DNB.

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At the prize-giving ceremony of MYStartup Hackathon X DNB, Ir. Narendran (2nd from right) and members of Team APU CREDIT receiving the mock cheque from Ahmad Kashfi Alwi, Senior Vice President, Ecosystem Development, CRADLE (1st from right), with Johan Krebbers, Head of Emerging Technologies, DNB (1st from left) looks on. (Photo credit to MYStartup Facebook page)

According to Ir. Narendran, CRADLE will invest in the full development of APU CREDIT’s solution with an agreed stake in the commercialisation. This will eventually assist the startup in prototype building and further lead to the venture building before it goes to market.

Analysing the strength that his novices had during the hackathon, he said, “I saw there was resilience in them and they had leveraged the experience and knowledge from projects in the CREDIT Lab and the SoE to come up with an innovative solution to the problem statement.”

The technical depth and breadth of APU CREDIT’s solution which is user-centric ultimately enabled them to be chosen as the winner.

Affirming what his brainchild has achieved so far, Professor Dr. Vinesh Thiruchelvam, APU’s Chief Innovation & Enterprise Officer said, “CREDIT was first created in 2017 with a vision to be an innovation and research centre to develop IoT-enabling systems for the industry. Today with goal-orientated leadership and a talented student researcher pool, it has evolved into innovating step-up in capacity and responsiveness to user-scaled projects, taking into its platform the vision of ultra-high-speed wireless communication requirements that caters for smart city developments.

“This victory at the hackathon was only possible by bringing on to the table ideas solidified by the passion for modernity and incorporating solutions via the advancement of digital technology as shown by the members of the Team APU CREDIT,” he concluded.