STUDENTS of Cebu Technological University (CTU) discovered an innovation using the Internet to help solve crimes committed inside taxicabs.
The innovation landed them to a top award during a recent contest participated in by at least 26 public and private universities nationwide.
Dr. Ronald Galindo, Associate Dean of the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department of CTU main campus, identified the students as Sercon Maiso Jr., Adrian Melgo
and Ailyn Ompad.
The three bagged the grand prize of $2,500 provided by LEARN Philippines, the sponsoring firm that conducted the Fourth University Innovation Olympics held at LEARN-PETC Cebu on November 17.
The contested subject was about “Emergency Short Message Services With Tracking System and Cloud Data Logging Using Internet of Things for Taxicabs,” where the CTU team emerged as one of the five finalists.
Among the five finalists were contestants from the University of San Jose Recoletos, University of San Carlos and CTU, of which each had sent a single team of Olympics participants, while the other two teams cam from Cebu Institute of Technology
University.
“But, luckily, the CTU contestants under their class adviser, Gemel Palconit, and associate adviser, Junjun Obiso, excelled and topped all and emerged as the grand winner,”
Galindo said.
Galindo said each team was composed of three contestants who were each given ample time to discuss clearly, in terms of oral and in writing, the effective solutions using their latest research and technology, in case of a robbery hold-up incident committed inside a taxicab.
Based on the innovative details presented by the CTU grand champion team, the taxicab driver would just simply push the cellular phone’s keypad and, automatically, all movements of the holdupper inside the vehicle would be clearly viewed by the taxi operator, including the exact location where the crime is committed, for the authorities’ easy access .
Galindo added that prior to the students’ entrance to the examination room his final instruction was “you must participate in the Olympics to top the whole game, and not just
merely to win.”
CTU President Dr. Rosein A. Ancheta Jr., Vice President for Academic Affairs and Linkages Dr. Victor D. Villaganas and other CTU officials greeted the winning CTU students during the welcome ceremony intended for them.