🌟 Young Innovators Outshine in Tech 4 Good Challenge 2024 Grand Finale! 🚀🎉

ViTrox Technologies and University Tunku Abdul Rahman (UTAR) proudly announced the successful conclusion of the Tech 4 Good Challenge 2023/2024 at ViTrox Campus 2.0 on July 6, 2024. 

Team ‘Smart Glasses’ from Chung Ling Private High School Penang was crowned Category 1 Champion for the ‘Well-being’ track, Most Favourable Project Award and Best Design Poster Award, making the trio the biggest winner of the day. The project titled ‘Smart Glasses’ has captivated attention for its transformative impact on social inclusion. 

Developed by Khor Wei Heng, Edelyn Teoh Su Theng and Yim Min Zong under the guidance of  Mr. Kang Joo Song and Mr. Goh Hoe Hin, the project titled ‘Smart Glasses’ demonstrated a groundbreaking approach to revolutionize communication to the deaf community through translating spoken language into text and displaying real-time transcriptions in the wearer's field of vision.

Leader of ‘Smart Glasses’, Wei Heng said winning was never the sole objective; instead, their team focused on showcasing our innovation, without expecting any awards—let alone three.“We delegated our tasks systematically. Wei Heng was in charge of the software programming to ensure accurate speech-to-text transcriptions, I did the hardware design and component assemble while Edelyn did the marketing materials such as posters and slides”, Min Zong said. Edelyn added that it was a fun experience as she learned about technological knowledge which is out of textbooks when developing the prototype and managed to meet up with other aspiring innovators. 

Among the standout teams who won the awards in different categories and tracks were from Heng Ee High School Cawangan Bayan Baru, Foon Yew High School (Kulai), Hin Hua High School, Kluang Chong Hwa High School, Tsun Jin High School, SMK Chung Hua (CF) Miri, ViTrox College, UTAR, Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM), Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM), and Penang Skills Development Centre (PSDC).

Building on the success of last year, this year's challenge saw an unprecedented number of 162 teams nationwide, comprising 486 talented students from both East and West Malaysia. However, only 48 teams with the most innovative and impactful ideas entered the Grand Finale after judging their proposals.

President and Group CEO of ViTrox Corporation Berhad, Mr. Chu Jenn Weng, expressed his concern about the significant decline in student interest towards STEM education, which will eventually degrade the number of skilled engineers, scientists and technologists in our country, causing Malaysia to fall behind in the global arena.

“We need to make learning more engaging, interesting and creative to spark students' interest in STEM again. Therefore, this event underscores the importance of stimulating innovation among students and nurturing STEM talents in addressing pressing societal challenges. We look forward to continuing this competition to engage more STEM talents in future,” he said. President and CEO of University Tunku Abdul Rahman (UTAR), Ir. Professor Dato' Dr Ewe Hong Tat also encourages the students to continue advancing the fields of technology and engineering innovation by participating in such competitions to broaden their knowledge and hone their skills. 

The Grand Finale judging panel features 18 industrial engineers, academia professors and front-line education practitioners from Cytron Technologies, Swisspac Resources, Myreka Technologies, ViTrox Technologies, SEAMEO RECSAM, Chumbaka, Arus Academy, USM and UTAR.  

Jointly organized by Vitrox and UTAR FICT (University Tunku Abdul Rahman, Faculty of Information and Communication Technology), Tech 4 Good Challenge serves as a national platform for budding young inventors to showcase their prowess in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics). It encourages secondary and tertiary students to solve real-world problems in (1) Agriculture, (2) Environment and (3) Well-being by using engineering design.

✨ Check out the amazing winners here! 🏆🎉