iACADEMY students from the School of Computing impressed industry experts in tech in their thesis presentation with an exceptional and cutting-edge project that addresses alarming environmental concerns.
A thesis capstone project by Computer Science students that specialize in Software Engineering, OCDRON is a mobile app-controlled and solar-supported ocean drone prototype that collects waste on water. Apart from its waste pickup function, the drone is also capable of detecting the water’s pH level and emitting lime powder that helps to balance the acidity of the water through neutralization, creating a safer environment for various aquatic lifeforms.
“Our peers who were tech industry experts were impressed beyond measure that our students were able to produce such a complex apparatus with minimal costs, noting they were still undergraduates. This makes our program an excellent training ground for individuals who are set to take on real-world challenges and we couldn’t be more proud of this game-changing achievement”, shares Mitch Andaya, iACADEMY School of Computing Dean.
With the avalanche of enthusiasm for waste reduction and water cleanup projects, the proposed system, OCDRON, is a creative, low-cost, and intelligent solution to the alarming problem of water pollution that is damaging the health of aquatic ecosystems, posing harm to humans through toxic and hazardous waste, and the contamination of clean and potable sources of water. The students were able to assemble the apparatus in less than 50 days with a ceiling budget of P25,000 to build a unit. According to the group, the cost is reduced exponentially as compared to what is being offered in the market for ocean drones with only a single function.
“Similar prototypes already exist in other countries, but our competitive advantage is the additional functions aside from the waste collection, plus the minimal costs we have used to create a timely, efficient, and cutting-edge technology such as this”, the students shared.
Students share that the success of the project is also drawn to the significant participation of their professors in iACADEMY who have provided guidance and support throughout their journey. The group expresses their gratitude to their thesis adviser Engr. Raymond Zalameda and Prof. Bennett Tanyag, the chairperson of Software Engineering and Web Development in iACADEMY School of Computing, for having relentlessly provided support and valuable insights to their research. Notably, iACADEMY underlines that this is also one of the core benefits of the enhanced program dedicated to those who have started their academic journey in senior high school and continued their specialization in college.
“We are all organic students in iACADEMY, meaning we all graduated from iACADEMY Senior High and continued here for College as well. With that, we are very fortunate that we all experienced and benefitted from the Enhanced Program Curriculum where we are able to take more advanced subjects and allowed us to continue working on the projects that we also produced in our SHS and turn it into something even more awesome,” the students shared.
They added, “this was actually a project-based learning (PBL) project with the majority of our members coming from the same team from when we were in SHS. What we knew back then was still quite limited, but we were asked to think outside the box, and that’s what iACADEMY does best. We change the game by thinking outside of the box. Given the limitations of the pandemic and our hesitation in the fear we might not accomplish it for our thesis project, our professors welcomed this idea and encouraged us to pursue this research by giving their fullest support and mentorship.”
The group consists of BS Computer Science majors with a specialization in Software Engineering Jean Michel Gabrielle Gomez, Allain Vincent Gaspar, Christian Gaspar, and Mel Ivan Magsino, who were also iACADEMY SHS graduates from the Software Development track.
“This is really what makes our work as educators truly worth it. Seeing what these students have developed for the benefit of other people really makes us proud and fills up our hearts. I really believe the world needs to see something as game-changing as this and iACADEMY guarantees to provide the support our students need to take this project further”, muses Raquel Perez-Wong, iACADEMY’s Chief Operating Officer.
iACADEMY opens limited partnership opportunities for interested organizations and entities who are looking to take part in water cleanup initiatives through the utilization of OCDRON. A game-changing technology, iACADEMY believes this is an efficient and timely solution to the alarming environmental concerns that our world faces today. To schedule a demo and for partnership inquiries, email [email protected].
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