Poly KK Strike Gold In Taiwan

Reports by: Siti Mariam Aziz Rashid (Sabah)

KOTA KINABALU, 11 Sept (Malaysiaaktif) -Kota Kinabalu Polytechnics marked another  historic milestone when they won the gold medal at the 23rd FIRA RoboWorld Cup And Congress at Feng Chia University, Taichung, Taiwan last August.

Kota Kinabalu Polytechnic contributed a gold medal in the FIRA Air Category (Autonomous Race) defeating three teams from China, Iran and Indonesia. It was a sweet and victorious first attempt for Kota Kinabalu Polytechnic, since this was the first time it was chosen to represent Malaysia for the tournament, having won the competition in the same category at the national level in May.

The aura and spirit of the tournament can still be felt today by the two students who represented Kota Kinabalu Polytechnic in the six days championship under the FIRA Air Category.

GOLD FOR MALAYSIA ! Team FIRA Air comprising of Wong Wei Ming (left), Mohd. Hariz (centre) and Rekimi pose for a picture upon their arrival at the KKIA Airport.

Rekimi bin Pokia, 21 years and Mohd. Hariz Iswan bin Sinuin, 20,  both students of the Mechatronic Engineering are in their fourth and fifth semesters respectively.  Both considered the sweet achievement of gold for Malaysia in the tournament as a valuable experience and each are still difficult to grasp.

“I am very grateful for this achievement. But what was more valuable was the experiences and opportunities that were gained during the tournament, where we get to share knowledge among international participants such as Iran, China and Indonesia,” said Rekimi.

The Kudat lad said his interest in robotics started from watching various sci-fi films such as Transformers, The X-Men and so on.  These films inspired myself  to venture into robotics full time, he added.

As for Mohd. Hariz Iswan,  he has always been into robotics since his younger school days and hopes that this field will continue to grow in Malaysia.  According to him, it took them three months to prepare for the international competition and it was well worth the time and effort.

Zainab with the FIRA Air Team at the Kota Kinbalu International Airport upon their arrival from Taiwan. Rekimi (third from right), Mohd. Hariz (fourth from right) and Wong Wei Ming (fourth from left), together with PKK’s Mechanical Engineering students and lecturers.

“Eventhough much of our time were spent for preparation for the world event, three months to be precise, but it was all worth the while.  We have to give our 100% effort in our work and try not to give up easily.  I hope the robotic field in Malaysia continues to grow and I urge other students to venture into this field as this is the thing of the future,”he added.

The six-day tournament  saw  Malaysia Polytechnics  gaining nine gold medals, three silver medals and two bronze medals.  Malaysia Polytechnics were represented by The Sultan Azlan Shah Polytechnic (PSAS), Sultan Idris Shah Polytechnic (PSIS), Ungku Omar Polytechnics (PUO) and Kota Kinabalu Polytechnic (PKK).

The 23rd FIRA Roboworld Championship is an annual event showcasing the football robotic competition, as well as a platform for international representatives to present the development of robotic technology worldwide.

This year marks the ninth year of participation from Malaysia Polytechnic in the FIRA Roboworld Tournament, competing with ten other countries such as Iran, Korea, India, Taiwan, China, Brazil, Russia, the Phillipines and Indonesia vying for the titles.

Some five categories were contested at the FIRA RoboWorld Cup 2018, namely the Hurocup, Androsot, Robosot, Fira Air and Simurosot.  Kota Kinabalu Polytechnic joined two categories under the FIRA Air namely the Autonomous Race and Emergency Delivery.

FIRA Air Team with Head of Mechanical Engineering Department, Abdul Razak Mohd. Daim (second from right) and Programme Supervisor, Philips a/l Dhermaraj (left)

Kota Kinabalu Polytechnic team supervisor, Wong Wei Ming @ Arthur Wong was all praise for his students’ achievements. Arthur, who is also the coordinator of the Kota Kinabalu Polytechnic FIRA Robotics, said the success of Kota Kinabalu Polytechnic was mainly due to the teamwork of the entire Kota Kinabalu Polytechnic Robotics Team which comprise of lecturers and students of the Mechanical and Electrical Engineering Department, as well as the strong support from Kota Kinabalu Polytechnic management.

The success achieved at the FIRA Roboworld tournament is the result of team work among the lecturers and the persistency of the students involved. The spirit as well as passion in the field are one of the key elements of success, and I am very proud of my two protégés who have proven that nothing is impossible if we have the strong passion and will to succeed in everything we do,” Wong said.

Meanwhile, Kota Kinabalu Polytechnic Director Zainab binti Othman expressed her pride in the success of Kota Kinabalu Polytechnic team in the international arena.

“I am very proud of the success of our team in the Fira Air category in Taiwan, and I hope that this achievement will be a catalyst for other students to venture into this field and continue the momentum of success at national and international level,” said Zainab.

Zainab further added that the competition indirectly helps students to think creatively in innovation and educate students to foster a high level of patience besides highlighting their talents and abilities.
 

-FB