JOHOR BAHRU, June 21 – A seven-member student team from Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) and Xiamen University Malaysia (XMUM) won two Silver Awards in June 2026 for ElaeiSync, their Artificial Intelligence (AI)-powered oil palm harvesting innovation, first at DIGITEX 2026 on 15 June, then at the Southeast Asia Contest of the China International College Students’ Innovation Competition (SEA CICSIC) 2026 held from 19 to 21 June at XMUM.

ElaeiSync is an Internet of Things (IoT)-driven machine vision and precision harvesting system that detects Fresh Fruit Bunch (FFB) ripeness and automates selective harvesting.

Powered by YOLOv8, a proprietary Mamba-SIEMF temporal model, and edge AI on NVIDIA Jetson, it targets the 15–20% of FFB currently mis-harvested in Malaysia. The project supports smallholder farmers and the palm oil industry by improving yield, lifting Oil Extraction Rate (OER) and easing labour shortages.

Project supervisor Dr. Seah Choon Sen praised the team’s achievements, calling ElaeiSync a strong example of student-led innovation tackling national agricultural challenges.

“This project shows how computing students can move beyond the classroom and deliver real, deployable solutions for industry. The team has combined deep technical skill with genuine social purpose, and their work will inspire future cohorts within the Faculty,” he said.

Special appreciation goes to team leader Qian Wen Jun, an international student from the Faculty of Computing, UTM, whose leadership across two campuses kept the project on track. Under their direction, the team integrated hardware, AI and field testing into a working prototype, which unites a multi-disciplinary group of students behind one ambitious goal.

“Winning back-to-back silvers in one week confirmed that ElaeiSync solves a problem the industry truly cares about,” said Welson Woong Lu Bin.

“Competing against 60 teams from Southeast Asian countries at SEA CICSIC sharpened every detail of our pitch. I’m deeply grateful to my teammates, our supervisors, and the Faculty of Computing where this recognition belongs to all of us.”

The competitions reflect the spirit of innovation that UTM nurtures across its programmes. DIGITEX 2026 showcased Malaysian university-level digital solutions, while at SEA CICSIC, it brought together excellent innovative solutions from 11 Southeast Asian countries to pitch ideas addressing regional industrial, social and sustainability challenges, pushing the team to think beyond local boundaries.

This double Silver achievement reaffirms that UTM students are capable of competing on a Southeast Asian stage and delivering technology that matters to communities and industries. As the team prepares for the next stage of CICSIC, ElaeiSync stands as proof that computing, creativity and social purpose can grow together.