Steering Towards a Digital Era

As technology is getting more and more integrated into our everyday lives, the demand for technology-based products, infrastructures and services has risen to new heights and will continue to do so in the foreseeable future.

This has resulted in a growing demand for more tech-savvy talents from the higher education sector through the push for more emphasis on science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) subjects in order to help Malaysia keep up with the technology-driven era.

Meng Shen together with his 5G Teleoperated RC Car prototype.

Tunku Abdul Rahman University of Management and Technology's (TAR UMT) Faculty of Computing and Information Technology (FOCS) shoulders the responsibility of producing Malaysia's future digital talents by providing courses that cover a wide array of disciplines such as computer science, data science, software engineering, information technology and information systems. 

As one of the highly reputable MDEC Premier Digital Tech Institutions since 2017, TAR UMT is recognised as a preferred institution that possess an established track record of excellence in providing education that aligns with the needs of the digital technology sector, and equipped both in infrastructure and academic resources to produce high-quality graduates who are well-equipped for high value jobs in the digital industry. 

See Meng Shen is one of the many students walking down this promising path. The Bachelor of Computer Science (Hons) in Interactive Software Technology student has always been interested in interactive software development process, and would hope to be on the creator side of things in the future.

"The world is slowly advancing towards an era where digital-based careers such as artificial intelligence, robotics, automation, and interactive software, are in high demand. Obtaining the knowledge and skills today will help me prepare for a future digital-based career," said Meng Shen.

As part of his learning process, Meng Shen is also in charge of the 5G Teleoperated Remote-Controlled (RC) Car project that aims to prototype a vehicle that is capable of being operated remotely by utilising 5G connection.

"This project is exploring the possibilities and limitations of remotely operating a vehicle. If the results are favourable, it can lead to larger practical applications such as remote operation of construction or transportation vehicles, making it a significant milestone for remote driving in the future or even provide an insight to other possible applications of 5G.

Meng Shen conducts a live demonstration of the RC car being operated remotely through 5G connection.

"On top of having to fully tap into my interactive software knowledge to design and program the prototype correctly, I also learned new concepts such as Internet of Things (IoT), critical thinking and problem solving in order to further improve the prototype's interface. I am sure these learning experiences will help me become an asset in my future career," Meng Shen added.

The project is also an initiative under the Immersive Design and Interactive Software Development Group, a research group under FOCS’s Centre for ICT Innovations and Creativity, a research centre focused on cultivating an entrepreneurial culture among lecturers and students through research and development activities that can potentially lead to commercially viable innovations.

“This project’s aim was to research and look into testing and learning how we can maximise the possibilities of tele-operating machines via 5G connection. This research can pave the way for innovations in transportation, logistics, or construction sectors,” said Ts Andrew Tan Khin Huat, Programme Leader, and workgroup leader of the Immersive Design and Interactive Software Development Group.