Scope International ICT Competition

Cool concepts take top spots 

KUALA LUMPUR: Two high-technology concepts, that would benefit the visually handicapped if put into production, won top prizes at the Standard Chartered Bank ICT Competition last month. 

One is a modified cane which uses GPS (global positioning system) technology and a Bluetooth wireless headset to help a blind person to better find his way around. 

The other is a device that uses ultraviolet light and photodiode detection technology to help the sightless, especially those running a trade, to detect counterfeit money. 

Technopreneurs Mun Yee Phang and Jason Lee from the two-man Columbus team, designed the cane and won RM 15,000 cash, a plaque, and a certificate of excellence. They were tops in the professional category of the contest. 

Quah Kah Hin, Chen Say Hong and Hooi Ling Goh of Unversity Kebangsaan Malaysia, forming the UV-ICU team, came up with the counterfeit-money detector and took first place in the students category. They went home with RM12,000 cash, plaque and certificate of excellence. 

Five teams each from the professional and student categories were shortlisted for the final round of judging. 

Scope International (M) Sdn Bhd, a wolly owned subsidiary of Britain’s Standard Chartered Bank, organized the competition. 

The contest is aimed at spurring ICT (information and communications technology) development amongst university students and ICT professionals; helping to increase the country’s pool of knowledge workers, and encouraging more students to enroll in ICT-related courses. 

“It reinforces our belief that there is an abundance of Malaysian talent that can implement innovative ICT solutions and services that are second to none,” said Arif Siddiqui, chief information officer or Scope International. 

The inaugural competition attracted 350 participants who submitted 145 entries – 109 for the professional category and 36 for the student segment. 

Shortlisted entries included those from Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Curtin University of Technology, University Teknologi Petronas Asia Pacific Institute of Information Technology, and Tunku Abdul Rahman College.