UMPSA wins 6 medals, Ts. Nurul Wahidah named Best Woman Inventor at ITEX 2026

KUALA LUMPUR, 19 May 2026 – Universiti Malaysia Pahang Al-Sultan Abdullah (UMPSA) continued to record impressive achievements by winning four gold medals and two silver medals at the 37th International Invention, Innovation & Technology Exhibition (ITEX) 2026, held from 18 to 20 May 2026 at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre (KLCC).

Adding to the achievement, lecturer from the Faculty of Electrical and Electronic Engineering Technology (FTKEE), Ts. Nurul Wahidah Arshad, also received the special Best Woman Inventor Award for her innovation, DEWBoard©️, further elevating UMPSA’s name on the international stage.

DEWBoard©️ is a digital electronics learning kit developed to facilitate the teaching and learning of digital electronics courses in a more interactive, practical, and user-friendly manner.

According to Ts. Nurul Wahidah, the innovation was specially designed to help students understand digital circuit concepts through a hands-on learning approach without relying heavily on complex laboratory facilities.

“This learning kit has a compact and portable design, uses low power, and only requires a USB power bank as its energy source.

“In addition, DEWBoard©️ does not require complicated wiring or large-scale laboratory equipment, making it more flexible and suitable for use in lecture rooms and TVET learning activities.

“The development of DEWBoard©️ began in response to feedback from students who wanted a more effective and user-friendly learning method for understanding digital electronics applications.”

Also winning gold medals were lecturer from the Faculty of Civil Engineering Technology (FTKA), Ts. Dr. Nurmunira Muhammad, for the project ‘BIOFORGE GROUNDFIX: Innovative Sustainable Bacteria Catalyst to Enhance MICP Process’, and Ts. Muhamad Ridzuan Radin Muhamad Amin from FTKEE for the project ‘Energy Consumption Tracking Platform’.

In addition, the project ‘CAMKenderaan Black Box for Vehicle Forensic Investigation’ by FTKEE lecturer, Dr. Syukran Hakim Norazman, also won a gold medal.

Meanwhile, FTKEE lecturer, Ts. Mohd Hisyam Mohd Ariff, with the project ‘WaveExtend 5G Antenna for Wireless Router’, and lecturer from the Faculty of Manufacturing and Mechatronic Engineering Technology (FTKPM), Dr. Zulhelmi Ismail, with the project ‘Paperbot: When Paper Comes to Life’, won silver medals.

The UMPSA Vice-Chancellor, Professor Ts. Dr. Yatimah Alias, congratulated the UMPSA researchers and said that the achievement demonstrates the ability of UMPSA researchers to produce innovations that are not only creative and sustainable.

“Indeed, they also have the potential to make a significant impact on society and industry through technological solutions centred on education, energy, communication, and safety.

“May this outstanding achievement continue to serve as a catalyst for a culture of innovation and research among the university community, while strengthening strategic collaboration networks at the global level,” she said.

UMPSA’s participation in the prestigious competition serves as an important platform for showcasing the university’s research and innovation at the national and international levels, in line with the university’s aspiration to strengthen its research, innovation, and future technology development ecosystem.

The opening ceremony of ITEX 2026 was officiated by Deputy Secretary-General (Technology Development), Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MOSTI), Norsham Abdul Latip.

Also present was Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research and Innovation), Professor Ts. Dr. Aida Mustapha.

By: Naqiah Puaad, Centre for Corporate Communications
Translation by: Ts. Dr. Rozaimi Abu Samah, UMPSA Press