National Skudai Robotic Challenge (NSRC), hosted by Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan (SMK) Skudai in collaboration with Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) and Mechabotics Sdn. Bhd., took place at the Iskandar Puteri City Council (MBIP) Hall on November 6th, 2023. This event, generously sponsored by Mechabotics Sdn. Bhd., IEEE Electron Devices Society (EDS), and Raffles University, provided a platform for high school students across Malaysia to showcase their talent in the field of pathfinder robotics.

In preparation for the competition, Mechabotics Sdn Bhd offered training and tutorials, both online and face-to-face, to all interested students. These activities not only equipped the participants with valuable skills but also provided them with meaningful experiences. On the competition day, students were isolated from their teachers to independently program their robots based on the path determined during the event. The challenge involved navigating the robot through designated checkpoints and returning it to the starting point.

The overarching goal of this program is to cultivate highly skilled students with inventive and creative thinking, aligning with the government’s mission to promote STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) in the educational system and the wider community. In the era of Industrial Revolution 4.0, it is crucial for schools to equip students with robotics and innovation skills. This, in turn, enables them to establish a reputation in various robotics competitions at local, state, national, and even international levels. Additionally, the program adheres to the Sekolahku Sejahtera philosophy, contributing to the government’s objective of fostering communal well-being.

The top five winners of the NSRC are as follows: Kolej Permata Insan from Negeri Sembilan, SMK Skudai, English College, SMK Taman Universiti, and SMK Bandar Baru Uda from Johor.

  The top-five winners

The participants

This article was written by Nurul Ashikin Abdul-Kadir, Nur Hanani Abdul Rahman, Nur Ainani Ali
For more STEM activities: may visit fke.utm.my/stemrbtk