JOHOR BAHRU, June 11 – The TinkerTech Challenge: Pathfinder 2025, a signature program under the Artificial Intelligence and Robotics Festival (AIRFEST 2025), took center stage on June 11, 2025, at the prestigious Dewan Banquet, Sultan Ibrahim Chancellery Building, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM). The event drew enthusiastic participation from UTM students, local school teachers, and University of Southampton Malaysia students, establishing an exciting and vibrant platform for collaboration, knowledge exchange, and technological exploration in the realms of autonomous robotics and machine learning.
The creation of autonomous robotic systems managed by body posture recognition using machine learning (ML) and artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms was at the core of the challenge. The challenge for the participants was to create robots that could mimic pickup and delivery duties and navigate complex routes without the need for human assistance. With a focus on creativity, flexibility, and real-time responsiveness, this challenge necessitated the integration of critical technologies like robotics, computer vision, and AI-based control systems. The accuracy and effectiveness of each team’s robot’s path completion, both with and without penalties, were assessed.
Students from a variety of backgrounds collaborated, exchanged ideas, and used their theoretical knowledge to solve practical problems in an inclusive and cooperative learning environment that was successfully promoted by the competition. It sharpened participants’ technical competencies and critical thinking abilities by providing a dynamic environment for experiential learning and interdisciplinary collaboration. Additional value was added by the participation of local educators, who were exposed to state-of-the-art teaching tools and motivated to implement them in their own classrooms.
Pathfinder 2025’s success demonstrated UTM’s dedication to producing graduates who are prepared for the future and possess 21st-century abilities in robotics engineering, artificial intelligence, and problem-solving. The occasion demonstrated how integrating creativity, collaboration, and cutting-edge technology can result in significant effects in STEM education.
The STEM-RBTK Club of the Faculty of Electrical Engineering (FKE) effectively planned and led the challenge, and its members showed extraordinary coordination and leadership. Assistant engineers from FKE and a number of student organizations, including the Jurutek Student Club, Aljazari Student Club, and AIROST Students Club, greatly aided their efforts. This teamwork made sure the event ran smoothly and improved everyone’s overall educational experience.
In the end, the TinkerTech Challenge: Pathfinder 2025 proudly reflected UTM’s position as a leader in engineering and technology education by showcasing not only the potential of autonomous systems and AI but also the spirit of innovation, teamwork, and educational advancement.
This article was written by: Nurul Ashikin Abdul Kadir and Nasrul Humaimi Mahmood