CEBU, Philippines — Three students from Cebu Technological University bagged the grand prize in the Fourth University Innovation Olympics for their invention to solve crimes in taxicabs using internet system.
Sercon Maiso Jr., Adrian Melgo and Ailyn Ompad bested the contestants from 26 public and private universities nationwide to win $2,500 from LEARN Philippines.
Dr. Ronald Galindo, Associate Dean of the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department of CTU main campus, said the contest was held at LEAR-PETC Cebu last November 17.
The topic of the competition was about “Emergency Short Message Services With Tracking System and Cloud Data Logging Using Internet of Things for Taxicabs” where CTU team emerged as one of the five finalists.
Among the five finalists were contestants from the University of San Jose-Recoletos (USJ-R), University of San Carlos (USC) and two teams from Cebu Institute of Technology University (CIT-U).
“But luckily the CTU contestants under their class adviser, Engr. Gemel Palconit, and associate adviser, Engr. Junjun Obiso, excelled and topped among all and emerged as the grand winner,” said Galindo.
Galindo added that each team was composed of three contestants who were given ample time to discuss clearly in oral and in writing the effective solutions using their latest research and technology, in case of a robbery hold-up incident for example, committed inside a taxicab.
Galindo also pointed out that through the research and innovation presented by the CTU team, on the aforementioned incident, by using their latest innovation to be applied to cellular phone gadgets for an exclusive use of taxicab drivers, undoubtedly the said crime incident will be solved.
Based on the innovative details presented by the CTU team, the taxicab driver would just simply push the cellular phone’s keypad and automatically all movements of the hold upper inside the vehicle would be clearly viewed by the taxi operator including the exact location where the crime is committed, for the authorities’ easy response.
Galindo added that prior to the students’ entrance to the examination room his final instruction was “you must participate the Olympic to top the whole game, and not just merely to win.”
He added that ever since in the history of CTU from its original identity as Cebu Trade School, then changed to Cebu State College of Science and Technology, followed by CTU at present, only in this era this Cebu state university has not only gained a vast popularity in terms of educational skills, but as well as on the cash incentives it received amounting to $2,500 or approximately P125,000.
This development was considered as another victory of the CTU engineering students in the field of research and innovation, said Obiso.
With pride and honor, CTU President, Dr. Rosein A. Ancheta Jr.; Vice President for Academic Affairs and Linkages, Dr. Victor D. Villaganas and other CTU officials greeted the CTU winning students during a simple and fitted welcome ceremony intended for them. (FREEMAN)