Memorable experience

AGAINST all odds, four second-year mechanical engineering students from Inti International University (Inti) swept away competitors with their "Eco Park Rider" robot at this year's Laureate Award for Excellence in Robotics Engineering, clinching second place in the international robotics competition and its theme of "Environmental Sustainability" that took place in Universidade Salvadore (Unifacs), Brazil.
Ruminating on the challenging conception of his team's AI robot and the competition, team leader Sunder Raj Sundara Murthy said, "When we were in Brazil, we found out that we were the only team of four mechanical engineering students. All other teams were students with an academic background in electrical, electronic or AI which gave them the extra edge in this competition. We realised that the odds were somewhat against us, but we persevered and we are extremely proud of our achievement in Brazil."
On top of their US$6,000 (RM25,800) prize money, the team and the two faculty members received enriching exposure to different cultures and experiences due to the competition's international nature, which saw an exchange in information, dialogue, and knowledge for everyone involved from Inti's side, with the students forming cross-cultural relationships with their peers from the Laureate International Universities network, and the faculty's Associate Prof Dr How Ho Cheng's visit of Unifacs' lab.