JOHOR BAHRU, 20th Aug. – STEM-RBTK, the STEM and RBT-related project hosted by lecturers from the Department of Electronic and Computer Engineering (ECE) at the Faculty of Electrical Engineering (FKE), received an invitation to participate in an exhibition and host a robotics competition during the Carnival of Minggu Sains Negara (MSN) 2023 for the Johor state level on August 19th to 20th, 2023.
The Ministry of Science, Technology, and Innovation (MOSTI) launched MSN2023 as one of its endeavours to encourage innovation and creativity among the populace. YB Chang Lih Kang, Minister of Science, Technology, and Innovation, officially launched MSN 2023 on April 17th, 2023, and it will run until October 2023.
The complete hybrid implementation of this initiative includes online components as well as carnival events in 14 states across Malaysia. The main goals of this initiative are to raise community awareness of the value of science, technology, and innovation (STI) in daily life, ignite interest in STEM majors, and increase the number of students choosing them in line with the National STEM agenda.
It also aims to educate the public on how to value and recognize contributions and successes in the scientific community. Additionally, seven (7) primary focal areas—Planetary Health, Chemistry and Biotechnology, Safe Use of Nuclear, Social Innovation, Engineering, Nanotechnology, and Space—serve as the basis for MSN 2023 events and contests.
The activities and competitions implemented through MSN 2023 are also led by leading agencies and strategic partners who incorporate elements of creativity, innovation, science communication, security, economy, human well-being, culture and awareness, the Internet of Things (IoT), and Industry Revolution 4.0 (IR4.0).
During the event, lecturers and students from FKE demonstrated an online robotics challenge in a 2D and 3D pathfinder interface. Simultaneously, a human gesture-controlled robot using a camera was also presented. Sixteen selected schools, consisting of 8 SMK and 8 SK, participated in the Robotics Coding Challenge, where they were given a specific time to complete a mission.
Completing the mission required critical and innovative thinking skills as they had to use a limited number of block instructions to move their robots as efficiently as possible. The top 5 schools with the shortest completion times were declared winners in each category.
It is hoped that this initiative will inspire people to become more enthusiastic and knowledgeable about robots, electronics, and programming.
