Third-year students from the Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering (E&E) at the University of Nottingham Malaysia (UNM) unveiled their year-long capstone projects at the 2026 Group Project Roadshow. The projects revolved around devising a solution to one of Malaysia's most pressing public safety challenges: the high risk of road fatality for motorcyclists.
The reality is sobering: motorcyclists are 28 times more likely to die in fatal crashes than other road users, and Malaysia records the highest road fatality risk per 100,000 population among ASEAN nations, with over half of those fatalities involving motorcyclists.
In response to this challenge, twelve groups, each comprising four to five students from the Electrical and Electronic, and Mechatronic Engineering programmes, presented working prototypes of an Affordable Advanced Riding Assistance System (ARAS).
Bridging Academia and Industry with EDAG
This year's project scope was initiated and provided by Eckardt Design and Accessories Group (EDAG), a globally recognised engineering services provider. Working from an industry-sourced brief gave students direct exposure to real-world engineering constraints, including cost limitations, hardware durability, and end-user accessibility.
The main goal was clear: design a low-cost ARAS capable of delivering real-time safety indicators to everyday riders, making life-saving technology accessible beyond the premium motorcycle segment.
Prototypes Evaluated by Industry Experts
The culmination of the roadshow featured a live evaluation by three EDAG representatives who visited campus to assess all twelve prototypes. The panel comprised Ir. Zul Ashraf Bakri, Head of Vehicle Engineering; Mohd Faris bin Mazlan, Project Lead for Computer-Aided Engineering (CAE); and Ahmad Muzammil Zulkarnain bin Ahmad Razali, Senior Hardware Engineer (Embedded). Students demonstrated their systems both indoors and in a dynamic test run held in the campus car park, receiving direct professional feedback and real-world validation of their engineering solutions.
Academic staff from the department, including Dr Gnanam, also engaged with the student teams throughout the day, assessing technical designs and hardware implementations.
A Step Towards Safer Roads
The 2026 Group Project Roadshow demonstrated that UNM's engineering graduates are not only technically proficient, but equipped to translate that proficiency into solutions with genuine societal impact. Besides showcasing the potential of UNM students, the event serves as an example of the real-world opportunities and connections that they can access.
If you want to be industry-ready with an engineering programme that offers assessment by industry experts along with practical training experience, our Master of Engineering (Hons) in Electrical and Electronic Engineering could be right for you.
Posted on 3rd August 2026