Three Innovative Teams Set to Represent Malaysia at Microsoft’s Imagine Cup Regional Finals

• Three outstanding teams and their ingenious projects to compete at the Imagine Cup Online Regional Finals, for a chance to represent the nation at the Worldwide Finals in Seattle.
• Imagine Cup provides students with the unique opportunity to create applications, games and integrated solutions that can change the way people live, work, and play

KUALA LUMPUR, 26 April 2016 — Microsoft Malaysia (“Microsoft”) celebrated the passion and creativity of Malaysian youths at the recent Imagine Cup 2016 National Finals competition by announcing three talented national winners, to represent Malaysia at the online Regional Finals in June. Imagine Cup is the world’s premier student technology competition which allows students across all disciplines to use their thirst for technology to create applications, games, and solutions that can change the way we live, work, and play.

During Imagine Cup, students are required to create a technology project from start to finish – therefore formulating a great idea, supporting it with a thorough plan, and eventually building the project for submission. Students can submit their work for three main categories – Games, Innovation and World Citizenship. The National Finals held in the historical city of Melaka from 12 to 13 April saw 250 students from all over the country, forming 19 teams, to compete in these three categories. A total of 50 ideas were submitted, out of which the following teams emerged victorious:

At the closing ceremony, Chief Minister of Melaka, YAB Datuk Seri Ir. Hj. Idris Hj. Haron, said that he hopes the students have taken and will continue to take advantage of the spirit of entrepreneurialism throughout the Imagine Cup competitions: “It was an exciting moment for us to host the Imagine Cup National Finals and I am honoured to be among some of the most brilliant young minds in Malaysia. With the advent of new technologies, students have become digital by default, exposed to so many opportunities that should be seized without hesitation. The Imagine Cup is an initiative that does exactly that – opening up doors for youths, allowing them to create technologies that will build a better and brighter future for our country.”

For the teams competing this year, their journey with Imagine Cup has been a long but exhilarating one, where the recruitment and training process started in May last year, to prepare for the National Finals. Through the “Road to Imagine Cup” – designed to equip the current generation of Malaysian student developers and their lecturers with the skills and knowledge of Microsoft technologies – the company organized numerous roadshows at 30 institutions of higher learning around the country during this period, reaching over 5,000 students nationwide.

Commenting on the overwhelming response to the Imagine Cup, Dinesh Nair, Director of Developer and Platform Evangelism, Microsoft Malaysia said, “Year after year, the experience of seeing the enthusiasm of our students in creating impactful innovations that continue to revolutionise the way we live, never ceases to amaze me. The growing number of submissions each year is a testament to how the Imagine Cup is really making a difference in the lives of students, bringing them closer to fulfilling their dreams and ambitions.”

Category winners in the National Finals will compete in the online Regional Finals to be held in June. If successful, they will go on to represent the nation in their respective categories at the World Finals in Seattle, USA in July, and stand a chance to go home with the grand prize of USD$50,000.

“I would like to take the opportunity to congratulate the three winners of the Imagine Cup 2016 National Finals. These students have shown exemplary work ethic and ambition, qualities that are essential not only for personal development, but for the development of the nation as well. We are very proud of what they have achieved and continue to place our hopes and expectations on their shoulders as they go on to represent Malaysia in the Regionals and hopefully, World Finals,” added Dinesh.

Student developers create innovative solutions that redefine the way we live, work and play

Team InnovaBoard, winners of the Innovation category, were very appreciative of the knowledge gained from participating in Imagine Cup. “Imagine Cup forced us to push the creative boundaries of our minds to think beyond what we already know,” said member Najib Abdullah from University Teknologi Malaysia (UTM). Najib and his team came up with the brilliant idea of InnovaBoard, an interactive ‘balance board’ aimed at helping people improve their body balance. “InnovaBoard provides interactive games and programs that make the experience challenging, but fun. Moreover, it is an ‘Internet of Things’ (IoT) enabled device that allows for data to be stored in the cloud, readily accessible by therapists, coaches or the users themselves,” he added.

For Chee Xian of Team Burning Hair, the Imagine Cup was an eye-opening experience. He said, “Competing in the Games category placed us in front of many challenges, especially with everyone bringing the best that they can to the table. We are very thankful for this opportunity and for our mentor John Hii as well, who guided and encouraged us to get to where we are today.” The team from Swinburne University of Technology Sarawak created “Plug In”, a game inspired by the very real-life situation of needing to charge a phone.

For Team BAWA, also of Swinburne University of Technology Sarawak, winning the World Citizenship category was a satisfying culmination to all their hard work. Their project is aimed at enhancing the lives of others – helping the visually impaired by creating a low-cost solution that extends beyond the capabilities of a cane, turning it into a wearable product. Member Daniel Vong said, “As students, we often have plenty of ideas that have the potential to benefit society. However, the avenues to showcase our ideas are seldom available to us. The Imagine Cup provides that opportunity for us to not only share our thoughts, but to learn and grow as well.”

“The Imagine Cup is part of Microsoft’s grand plan to empower the next generation of people worldwide with opportunities to innovate and build solutions that enable people to do more and achieve more through technology. Microsoft continues to be committed in our support to the government to equip and enable our youth with 21^st century skills that are practical and relevant to the economy and industry’s needs. Initiatives such as the Imagine Cup are vital in providing the right platform and environment for the future leaders of our nation to thrive,” concluded Dinesh.