A team of students from the IEEE UTS Student Branch and the Sarawak Subsection of SIGHT in Malaysia took note of higher drop-out rates in schools, along with a rise in unhealthy/unsafe activities and lifestyles. For example, “mat lajak,” young people racing and doing stunts on modified bikes. According to Malaysia’s Federal Traffic Investigation and Enforcement Department director, they lack legislation to properly control the issue. The team also found an issue of childhood obesity in their research.
To combat these rising issues, the team collaborated with the S. K. Sungai Aup School and the University of Technology Sarawak to create a pedal-powered generator that will supply power to rural communities that have limited access.
The team had three primary objectives: to build the prototype and implement it at primary schools, to promote awareness about the importance of sustainable energy solutions, and to engage the rural community.
The planning and assessment stage kicked off the project, during which the team scoped out areas in need and what those exact electricity needs were in rural Sarawak, which is home to numerous indigenous communities, such as the Iban, Penan, Kenyah.
During the second phase, the team focused on the development and installation of the bicycle generator and the interactive display. They worked with local technicians to assemble the bicycle generator. It will be accessible to the community, and easily maintained. The interactive display will allow community members to see the numbers and its impact.
Phase three involves more community engagement and activities that raise awareness for the issue at hand. To do so, the team created a game that will encourage community members to learn more about the importance of sustainable energy solutions.
Finally, the team will collect the data and assess their prototype.
This project was made possible by $5,870 in funding from the Antennas and Propagation Society (APS), an EPICS in IEEE partner.