18th November 2023 – For the first time, Electrical Engineering Studies (PKE) UiTM Cawangan Pulau Pinang (UiTMCPP) has finally been selected to participate in the National Instruments Autonomous Robotics Competition (NI ARC) 2023 competition organized by National Instruments (NI), which is being held at the Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) Engineering Campus. PKE UiTMCPP was eventually granted a “wild card” ticket to enter this competition after a protracted battle to persuade the industry that PKE UiTMCPP was prepared to compete in this competition. This was accomplished through a series of briefings, interviews, and audits by the industry.
This year’s theme is “Robots in Manufacturing Industry: Direct Dispatch”. The use of robots in warehouses is part of a larger trend towards automation in the logistics and supply chain industries, helping to make these operations more efficient and effective. NI ARC 2023 challenges teams to design and build robots that can efficiently navigate through a warehouse environment, performing tasks such as inventory management, order fulfillment, and object transportation, with the goal of creating a robot that can streamline operations and improve productivity in a real-world warehouse setting.
Team robots are required to perform both autonomously and manually within an allotted time limit. Co-hosted by NI Malaysia and USM, NI ARC focuses on the comprehensive application and engineering practice ability of participating students in science and engineering disciplines, integrating autonomous robotics related technical disciplines including embedded system design, mechanical control, human-computer interaction etc. Fifteen teams were invited to compete in this competition this year: USM (3 teams), UPM (3 teams), UTM (2 teams), UKM (2 teams), UNIMAP (2 teams), PSDC (1 team), UiTMCPP (1 team), and KKTM (1 team).
The 27th April 2023 marked the beginning of this NI ARC 2023. Before participating in the NI ARC 2023 final stage, the chosen teams had to fulfill six milestones in a span of six months, from April to November 2023. Four final-year students from PKE UiTMCPP; Muhammad Haikal Hakimi, Muhammad Affandi, Nur Hanis Syamimi, and Nur Athirah, represented UiTMCPP. This team, known as “The Blue MyVi,” is led by Dr. Rozan Boudville, Associate Prof. Ir. Dr. Nor Azlan Othman, and Associate Prof. Ir. Dr. Nor Salwa Damanhuri. On the 18th November 2023, during the group round, the team had to play three dual matches. Out of three matches, the team was able to win one. Despite not being able to advance to a later level of the competition, this team performed well enough to be ranked 11th out of 15 teams and received the award for best novice.
Since this is our students’ first time participating in such a prestigious competition, it provides them with the chance to learn new material, generate fresh concepts, and acquire important experience—especially in the context of NI environment. Additionally, this competition demonstrates that our students are on level with students from other universities. This team, students and supervisors, deserves special recognition for the effort and commitment they put forth throughout the competition. More succinctly, the success of this team would not be possible without the support from the UiTMCPP top management. Thank you very much for all the support.
Looking forward to NI ARC 2024. We will strive for a better position next year.