MRANTI World Engineering Day 2023

We recently had the opportunity to attend an engineering competition. The competition was held at the MRANTI Makers Lab and brought together 24 teams from different schools to design and build a prototype that addressed a given problem in 24 hours. Our problem concerned monitoring the health of greenery in public areas.

The competition was divided into several stages, and the first stage required us to brainstorm ideas and develop a concept for our prototype. Our team spent several hours discussing various ideas. Eventually, we settled on a concept that involved building a device to monitor the number of leaves per unit length of the trees in roadside dividers and place   markers on the unhealthy trees so that they could be tended to. 

Once we had our concept, we began assembling the materials to build our prototype with the resources given. This involved sourcing components, such as sensors and microcontrollers [Arduino], designing the physical structure of our device and making them with 3D printers, laser cutters and power tools. It was challenging work, but we could work together effectively, using our individual strengths to help overcome any obstacles we encountered. 

Another crucial aspect of the competition was coding. We had to write code for our microcontroller that would process the data from the sensors and display it on an LCD screen, move servos, motors and more.  

As we worked on our prototype, we learned a lot about assembling materials and coding. We also learned how essential teamwork is in engineering. Each team member brought a unique perspective and skill set to the project, and by working together, we were able to build a functional prototype that met the competition's requirements.

Overall, the engineering competition was an extraordinary experience, and we learned a lot about assembling materials, coding, and teamwork. It was amazing to see the different ideas and solutions that the various teams came up with, and it was inspiring to see how much can be accomplished when people work together toward a common goal, which is partly why we would strongly encourage everyone to participate in such competitions.

Jaime, Hadi, Xin Yi and Siheng

Year 12