APU's Team B3ST Shines at Safety Tech Hackathon 2024!

Team B3ST, composed of Asia Pacific University of Technology & Innovation (APU) students specialising in computer science and artificial intelligence, achieved First Runner-Up at the Safety Tech Hackathon 2024 organised by Sime Darby Plantation. The team secured a cash prize of RM 4000.

Team B3ST posed on stage with their mentors after receiving the title of First Runner-Up at the Safety Tech Hackathon 2024 organised by Sime Darby Plantation. From left: Pu Jun Yu (holding a picture of Mentor Victor Khoo Shien Yang), Brandon Ban Kai Xian, Tang Jian Shiun, Tey Jia Yi (Team Lead), Yeoh Yuan Zhen, and Mentor Amad Arshad.

Leveraging the advanced Metaverse education and Virtual Reality (VR) & Augmented Reality (AR) facilities on their campus, Team B3ST was the only team to develop a training game combining 3D (Metaverse) and 2D (sandbox game) elements.

Guided by Mr Amad Arshad, Senior Lecturer at APU’s School of Computing (SoC), and APU alumnus Mr Victor Khoo Shien Yang, the team excelled at the national competition held on May 20th, 2024, at the Plantation Tower Auditorium, Sime Darby Plantation.

Back on campus with the title they won from the Safety Tech Hackathon 2024, Team B3ST and Mr Amad Arshad (far left) shared their joy with APU’s Head of the School of Computing, Assoc Prof Dr Tan Chin Ike (far right).

Led by Tey Jia Yi, a Bachelor of Computer Science (Hons) (Artificial Intelligence) student, the team included his final-year coursemates Tang Jian Shiun, Yeoh Yuan Zhen, Pu Jun Yu, and Brandon Ban Kai Xian. They were tasked with developing one of four training modules for use by Sime Darby Plantation in its daily operations.

The winning training modules game, selected from 28 contestant teams, has the potential to be deployed to around 40,000 workers within the plantation group. The modules covered basic first aid, chemical handling, work at height, and Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) awareness training, all presented in a gamified manner aligned with sustainability (SDG) goals.

The competition featured two stages: preliminary and final rounds, consisting of video ideation, game creation (prototype development), and final presentation. Among the nine teams that reached the final round, Team B3ST’s innovation stood out for its sustainability, cloud-backed architecture, scalability, responsiveness, multi-device compatibility, digital assistant (chatbot) integration, and SDG compliance.

The judging panel included Chief Information Security Officers (CISOs), Chief Security Officers (CSOs), the Head of Digital Upstream, the Head of Group Health, Safety, and Environment (Head G-HSE) from Sime Darby Plantation, and a Microsoft representative. They provided participants with valuable advice and feedback on various aspects, such as the sustainability of the game and future implementation plans.

The contestants' projects were evaluated based on safety awareness effectiveness, user experience, innovation and creativity, game adaptability, potential impact, and presentation. The main requirements for the game included having a leaderboard, web browser compatibility, multilingual support, oil palm plantation relevance, and an interactive gaming environment.

Introducing their creation, the Team Lead, Tey Jia Yi, stated, “Our innovative training solution – ‘Sawitverse’ – leverages a 3D open-world environment to teach PPE knowledge through engaging, device and web-compatible modules. It includes interactive exploration in a virtual space, assessments through hazard identification, and skill application in safety-based adventures. We designed it with multilingual support to ensure accessibility for diverse users.”

“Our platform stands out as it offers a comprehensive, sustainable training solution adaptable to various onboarding needs without the necessity for new hardware,” Tey Jia Yi added.

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Handsomely won! Team B3ST was the only team to develop a training game combining 3D (Metaverse) and 2D (sandbox game) elements at the Safety Tech Hackathon 2024, a national competition organised by Sime Darby Plantation. From left: Tang Jian Shiun, Brandon Ban Kai Xian, Yeoh Yuan Zhen, Mr Amad Arshad, Tey Jia Yi, and Pu Jun Yu.

Commenting on the team’s performance, Mr Amad revealed that game development was unfamiliar territory for the team members, but they embraced the challenge and made significant progress during the two-month window period.

“Team B3ST has designed a gaming adventure that goes beyond usual limits and combines 3D depth with 2D creativity, fully leveraging APU’s Metaverse education. I was impressed by the members’ cohesion throughout the competition, leaving a lasting impression on the organisers and judges. I look forward to the team bringing more glory to APU in future competitions,” remarked Mr Amad.

Reflecting on the experience, the team lead noted, “The impact of participating in this competition holds greater value than merely being impressive. We thank Mr Amad Arshad for his critical feedback, which greatly enhanced our project. Additionally, recognition is due to Mr Victor Khoo for his steadfast support and valuable insights throughout the competition.”

On the sidelines of the competition, Microsoft representatives conducted a gaming workshop for participants, enhancing their practical experience in creating problem-solving games with concrete purposes.