On August 18, Samsung Vietnam held a science and technology contest entitled: “The 2023 Innovation Tech Challenge, in conjunction with Junior Achievement Vietnam (JA VN). This was part of the 2022-2023 Samsung Innovation Campus (SIC) project, for the development of technological talent. Samsung Vietnam’s objective is to provide a highly creative open environment, where high-school and university students nationwide can freely demonstrate their technological knowledge and skills.
For the first time ever, DTU students won first and second prizes, in addition to their mentor Dr. Le Thanh Long, Dean of the Faculty of Computer Science in the DTU School of Computer Science (SCS), who was awarded the 2023 Lecturer of Excellence prize.
Hi-performance, sophisticated robots win first and second prizes
Teams from universities and high schools in seven provinces and cities who had already participated in the SIC were eligible, and the ROBOCON competition format was applied for the first time. The teams were asked to build one automatic robot and one manually controlled one, which were then used to compete, overcome tasks and obstacles and earn points.
DTU students win first and second prizes at the contest
Two teams, the WARRIOTS and DTU-DC, composed entirely of students of the DTU School of Computer Science, entered the competition with uniquely designed robots, fully equipped for intelligent combat. While the automatic robots focused on firing cannon balls, the DTU team skillfully used their manually controlled robot to lead their horse around the obstacles and victoriously storm a castle.
DTU students win with highly accurate robots
After three rounds (the qualifiers, semifinals and finals), with skillful control of highly accurate robots, the WARRIOTS team came first prize and the DTU-DC second. Third prize went to Hoa Sen University and a consolation prize to the Hanoi National University of Education.
“We only had one month to complete our robot,” said Le Hoang Tuan, a WARRIOT and fourth-year student of Big Data & Machine Learning in the DTU School of Computer Science. “We experienced testing failures, modification and perfecting. Under the guidance of our mentor, we adapted quickly and developed the tactics that we would use in the contest, which consisted of two main tasks. The first task was to storm and enter the castle with a horse for absolute victory. The second task was to bombard the castle to earn points if no other teams were able to enter the castle. We decided to focus on leading the horse in, which was complicated by the very narrow bends. At that time, we decided to design a mecanum wheel, to give the robot more flexibility around bends, and a way to lift the horse directly into the castle. This maneuver surprised the judges and we won in a relatively short time.”
DTU Students take part in SIC project and are then recruited by Samsung
The Samsung Innovation Campus (SIC) project for the development of technological talent was launched in 2019. The objective was to develop high-tech competency among the younger generation, and it has now been expanded to several countries, including the US, Germany, Spain, Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand.
Project activities include:
- The “2023 Innovation Tech Challenge” contest
- Three Samsung technology competency development courses
- The Internet of Things (IoT),
- Artificial Intelligence (AI),
- Big Data,
- Basic coding and programming
- Internships at the Samsung R&D Center in Hanoi
In 2023, 25 DTU students participated in the SIC project Big Data training course, and 12 were selected for internships in Hanoi.
At the closing ceremony of the 2022-2023 Samsung Innovation Campus project, valuable awards and scholarships were presented to the top lecturers and students. Nguyen Vinh Huy, a senior student of Big Data & Machine Learning and member of the winning DTU-DC team, was awarded a scholarship for the best performance and, together with seven other leading DTU students on the SIC course, was recruited by Samsung R&D.
“I want to thank our DTU lecturers for their solid support and especially the DTU Board of Provosts for partnering with Samsung and implementing numerous meaningful opportunities for learning and internships,” said Nguyen Vinh Huy. “I believe that, with the knowledge and skills acquired in the classroom and at SIC courses, I can confidently complete the assignments and intern at Samsung, which will allow me to develop my career plans and contribute to the development of Samsung at the same time.”
Dr. Le Thanh Long awarded the 2023 Samsung Lecturer of Excellence prize
Dr. Thanh Long explained: “To win this year’s Samsung Lecturer of Excellence award, I was required to satisfy several requirements: teaching a successful SIC course; mentoring SIC students; providing positive feedback to my students and colleagues; actively participating in project activities; and supporting the implementation of SIC courses at the university. This award is particularly important to for me because it recognizes my contributions and efforts to educate and mentor technology students.”
(Media Center)