2023 Underwater Robot Challenge programme attracts school students to learn robotics basics

PEKAN, 9 December 2023 - The team from Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Ulu Sapi, Sabah (Group 1) won the secondary school category, while the primary school category was won by Sekolah Kebangsaan Pelak, Pekan in the 2023 Underwater Robot Challenge Competition held at the Diving Centre, Akademi Adab, Universiti Malaysia Pahang Al-Sultan Abdullah (UMPSA) Pekan recently.

A total of 21 teams consisting of primary and secondary school students participated in the competition organised by UMPSA in collaboration with Universiti Teknikal Malaysia Melaka (UTeM) and IEEE Oceanic Engineering Society (OES) Malaysia Chapter.

For the secondary school category, the second and third places were won by Groups 2 and 3 from Dato’ Seri Abu Zahar Isnin Vocational College, Melaka.

The fourth and fifth places were won by SMK Paloh Hinai, Pekan and SMK (P) Methodist, Kuantan.

For the primary school category, the second place was won by SK Kesang Tua, Melaka.

SK Kem Terendak, Melaka and SK Seri Sentosa, Penang won the third and fourth places.

The prize-giving ceremony was completed by the Dean of the Faculty of Electrical and Electronics Engineering Technology (FTKEE), Associate Professor Dr.  Hamdan Daniyal.

In his speech, he congratulated all participants who joined the 2023 Underwater Robot Challenge competition.

“This is the second time this national-level competition has been held since it was first introduced last year, and it is open to schools in Malaysia.

“This programme exposes the basics of robotics to the youth, hopefully sparking their interest in the field of Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics (STEAM), which focuses on developing critical skills and students’ ability to understand, explore, and solve problems,” he said.

He expressed his gratitude for the support of all parties in ensuring the programme’s success and for choosing UMPSA as the host for this programme.

This competition involved five primary schools and seven secondary schools such as Sekolah Seni Malaysia (Johor), SMK Mat Kilau (Pahang) and SMK Kuala Krai (Kelantan).

UMPSA has a diving pool which is one of the attractions at the university. It has been operating since 2021 for students to undergo flotation, swimming and diving training.

By: Nor Salwana Mohammad Idris, Centre for Corporate Communications
Translation by: Dr.  Rozaimi  Abu  Samah, Faculty   of Chemical and Process Engineering Technology