On November 18, 2023, the National Instruments Autonomous Robotics Competition 2023 (NIARC 2023) was held at the Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) Engineering Campus in Nibong Tebal. Team Airost from Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) won the championship title for the second year in a row and the third time overall. Their remarkable display of expertise and innovation was highly anticipated and well-deserved.

NIARC 2023 is a prestigious student robotics competition sponsored by NI Malaysia in collaboration with USM. The competition is themed “Robots in Manufacturing Industry: Direct Dispatch” and marks its fifth year of fostering learning, development, and innovation among university students in robotics.

Starting in May 2023 and ending in late November, the competition had 15 qualifying teams from eight local institutions of higher learning, including UTM and USM, Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM), Universiti Malaysia Perlis (UniMAP), Penang Skills Development Centre (PSDC), Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) and Kolej Poly-Tech MARA (KPTMara).

Team Airost demonstrated exceptional skills and determination, emerging victorious after navigating through a challenging series of rounds. The competition structure comprised three Qualifying Rounds (Round-Robin) and three Championship Rounds (Knockout). The team’s unwavering commitment was evident as they advanced to the Finals and ultimately defeated their opponent, securing a well-deserved prize of RM 5,000.

UTM made a strong showing at NIARC 2023 by fielding two competitive teams: Team Airost and Team Aces. The teams were led by distinguished faculty members. Assoc. Prof. Dr. Yeong Che Fai, a member of CAIRO UTM and from the Control and Mechatronics Engineering Department (CMED) in the Faculty of Electrical Engineering, led Team Airost. Meanwhile, Ir. Dr. Fauzan Khairi bin Che Harun from the Electronics and Computer Engineering (ECE) department in the Faculty of Engineering supervised Team Aces. The participating students were from the Faculty of Electrical Engineering and the Faculty of Computing.

The recent victory of Team Airost in NIARC 2023 not only solidifies UTM’s position as a powerhouse in autonomous robotics but also highlights the university’s commitment to nurturing talent and fostering a culture of innovation in the ever-evolving field of robotics. This success adds another chapter to UTM’s legacy of excellence in autonomous robotics competitions, setting the stage for future breakthroughs and achievements in the field.

Team AIROST (Champion)

1.     Ammar Bin Jamalludin (Software Engineering 3rd Year)
2.     Wong Li Jie (Software Engineering 3rd Year)
3.     Leong Cheng Onn (Biomedical Engineering 2nd Year)
4.     Ng Jing Yi (Software Engineering 3rd Year)
5.   Chen Pyng Haw (Data Engineering 2nd Year)

Supervisor: Associate Professor Dr Yeong Che Fai (CMED, FKE and CAIRO UTM).

Team Aces

1.     Lua Wen Yinn (Electrical Engineering 3rd Year)
2.     Choo Zhen Yi (Electrical Engineering 3rd Year)
3.     Wong Wen Xin (Electrical Engineering 3rd Year)
4.     Chong Lee Jun (Electrical Engineering 3rd Year)

Supervisor: Ir. Dr. Fauzan Khairi bin Che Harun (ECE, FKE)