More than a prize, it's an opportunity... Innovedex 2023 Robotics Competition by TKK Corporation, a stage for Thai children to pursue their dreams of becoming a global leader in robotics.

If we're talking about another company that stands as a model for leveraging its experience and expertise in robotics and automation to create opportunities for the development of the Thai education sector, enabling personnel in the sector, from students to faculty and all levels of educational institutions, to access knowledge, technology, and modern teaching equipment, TKK Corporation Co., Ltd. is another example of its ongoing business operations alongside all aspects of educational development.

This includes supporting and providing modern equipment and tools to educational institutions, both at the tertiary and vocational levels, for use in teaching and learning. We also participate in sending expert staff to provide training in robotics and automation for the Thai education sector. We also provide internship opportunities for students nationwide in the manufacturing sector of TKK Corporation and its subsidiaries, helping to develop the skills of Thai personnel for industrial employment. In the past, if students met the company's criteria, they were hired immediately after graduation.

Today, TKK Corporation continues its mission to develop Thai education and enhance robotics and automation skills for Thai youth by organizing the national robotics training and competition program Innovedex 2023 again from June 24-25, 2023, at Debsirin School. This is the second time the event has been held, following the first in 2019, which had to be suspended due to the recent COVID-19 crisis.

This event aims to develop and promote the innovative capabilities of Thai youth through practical learning in robotics and automation, as well as robotics competitions. This aligns with the growing demand for personnel with skills and capabilities in robotics and automation, which will help drive the country towards the Industry 4.0 era in a concrete manner.

From the business vision to the development of education, we are continuing to organize Innovedex 2023 to provide opportunities for Thai youth.

Kanlayanee Kongsomjit, CEO of TKK Corporation Co., Ltd. and the initiator of the Innovedex 2023 robot training and competition project, explained the origins of this project as follows:

"From our experience in robotics and automation, we've found that graduates entering the workforce lack much knowledge and understanding of robotics, automation, AI, and coding. In the manufacturing industry as a whole, we've heard that hired employees lack the skills they need and are unable to immediately start working."

“In the past, TKK customers have asked us for training and development assistance. This led us to the idea of developing a management approach to laying the foundation for knowledge, particularly coding skills, which must be taught from the secondary school level to Thai students. This will enable them to use these skills to further develop their potential and expand into other digital skills in the future.”

"Once we had this idea, we talked to the executives of the Debsirin School Alumni Association, which has hosted many great projects for students. This led us to collaborate on organizing coding training for junior high and high school students nationwide, as well as organizing a robotics competition."

“We set the competition conditions: Students who participate should receive the opportunity to learn coding, as they have never had this opportunity before and have competed in robotics competitions before. This is the origin of the Innovedex competition in 2019.”

"Innovedex, the name of this robotics training and competition, is a combination of the words "innovation," "experimentation," and "education." This reflects the project's focus on promoting the innovative capabilities of Thai youth through practical learning in robotics and automation. This encourages children to engage in hands-on, hands-on experiments with real robotic equipment. This aligns with the growing demand for skilled and capable personnel in robotics and automation, which will tangibly propel the country towards the Industry 4.0 era."

"In our 2019 coding training program, we found that just six hours of instruction allowed both middle and high school students to gain skills that could be applied to competitions. Furthermore, in 2019, before the COVID-19 crisis, approximately one thousand people applied for the program."

“From the first competition, we saw Thailand's ability to learn and understand coding and robot control, leading to a satisfying result in the next day's competition.”

"During 2020-2022, during the COVID-19 pandemic, we announced applications for this project every year. We sought the right timing to hold the event. The response was overwhelming, and students and schools nationwide expressed interest and applied. However, due to the ongoing outbreak of COVID-19, organizing the event was not very convenient due to social distancing regulations and periods of lockdown. Consequently, the competition was repeatedly postponed. Until 2023, the Innovedex organizing committee decided to re-organize this robotics training and competition."

"This year's special feature, in addition to the robot competition on June 24-25, 2023, is that prior to the event, we will be offering a one-month online training course to students who have applied for the program. This course will teach coding skills to students. Students must log in for the course within the timeframe specified by Innovedex. The course content will be designed by TKK's robotics and automation experts. Upon meeting the required criteria, they will receive confirmation of successful completion of the program training. We will also send robotic equipment to the participants by mail."

“This online coding skills course, designed by TKK, will be expanded and applied more widely. Students participating in the Innovedex robotics training and competition will not only be able to access this online course, but will also be featured on the websites of schools nationwide. This opens the door for Thai youth to learn this skill, which can be used to further develop their digital capabilities in the future.”

"TKK expects the Innovedex robotics training and competition program to be developed and expanded into a national robotics training and competition program. This event is 100% non-commercial, meaning we don't accept donations unless there's a willingness to donate. Therefore, this event falls within the definition of an ESG-aligned event, which we intend to create positive returns for society."

"Because of the Innovedex robot training and competition program, TKK provided equipment, robots, online teaching materials, and TKK staff to participate in the event, totaling over 500,000 baht. This is a major event organized in collaboration with our partners: Debsirin School, the Debsirin School Alumni Association under Royal Patronage, Panyapiwat Institute of Management, and the Thai-Nichi Institute of Technology."

"Today, we are confident that this excellent project will attract even more support in future years. However, we will maintain the core concept of the event: we don't want Innovedex to be a commercialized event. We want it to be a truly beneficial robotics training and competition program for the development of Thai youth and the Thai education sector. We anticipate that in the coming years, more students and schools will participate."

More than just a prize, it's an opportunity given to Thai youth across the country, giving them equal access to the national robotics and automation talent showcase, Innovedex 2023.

As mentioned, the Innovedex 2023 robot training and competition program is open to all junior high and high school students nationwide, giving them an equal opportunity to showcase their talents on this national stage. This year, students from various schools nationwide enthusiastically participated in the training and competition. However, due to social distancing considerations to prevent the spread of COVID-19, the competition is open to all 49 teams from junior high and high school.

Among the 49 teams, there were many schools from other provinces participating, such as Phra Thongkham Wittaya School in Nakhon Ratchasima Province and Debsirin Phukae School in Saraburi Province. The contestants from both schools revealed their feelings, including the impressions, challenges, and opportunities they received from participating in this competition.

Starting with Ms. Duangporn Kornsamrong, Mr. Jakkraphob Butken, Ms. Thitikarn Menaruchi, Mathayom 6 students at Phra Thongkham Witthaya School, Nakhon Ratchasima Province, who came together to give their opinions that

“In the past, I've competed in AI projects or hackathons, where I won a silver medal. However, this was my first time competing in a robotics competition. The challenge was that I had to rewrite the program. Previously, I had to write it in JavaScript, but this time, I had to switch to Python. I also had to think about how to design my program and how to design the robotic arm for optimal grasping efficiency. There was also the added pressure of time.”

"From yesterday's and today's morning competitions, I was somewhat satisfied with the results, but I believe the afternoon session could have been even better. The experience gained from today's competition can be applied to further development. After graduation, I'd like to pursue a degree in Advanced Manufacturing Innovation at KMITL, Computer Engineering at Khon Kaen University, or a related field in Manufacturing Systems and Robotics. Even though this isn't directly related to my previous studies, I believe my skills in AI, robotics, and automation can be applied to various fields of study to create new innovations."

“Coming to compete in a forum like this gives us the opportunity to meet friends from other schools and learn new problem-solving skills.”

Mr. Thiradech Phanniyom, Mr. Thiranai Buntham, Mr. Thanawat Phachichip, 3rd year students at Thepsirin Phukae School, Saraburi Province, expressed their feelings as follows:

"We consider this competition particularly challenging because it's a national competition and requires coding to control the robot to grasp objects as specified. The coding requires setting values and creating a GUI, and the controls are manual, requiring adjustments to scale the robot to grab blocks and set on/off times. If this process is even slightly wrong, the mission to overcome the challenge will be impossible."

“And what made me love coding is that since I was in 7th grade, the Innovadex organizing team came to teach me about coding. This has helped me learn and enjoy it to this day. Over the past few years, I've been learning and practicing these skills, leading me to compete today.”

In addition, there was also an all-female team of competitors from Rajini School, Bangkok, including Ms. Warattra Wipusirichup, Ms. Pariya Bunsingma, and Ms. Phakwalanphan Hanphongtham, all Mathayom 5 (Grade 11) students from Rajini School, who shared their enjoyment and challenges from participating in the Innovedex robot competition.

“We've competed in school-level project competitions before, and participating in the Innovedex competition has helped us develop teamwork skills, as well as the precision of coding and controlling the robot to grasp objects at designated points. Our team designed a wider clamp to provide a better angle for grasping each block. We found that regular clamps tend to be slippery, so we used a glue gun to add glue to increase viscosity and prevent slippage.”

"Our school offers a science-mathematics curriculum, and AI is something we're passionate about. After graduation, we want to enter the Faculty of Engineering. Furthermore, we find building or operating robots challenging. We don't view this skill as exclusively masculine. We find it fun and challenging, and it's worth learning. Competing in this competition has also taught us that other teams are also incredibly talented and skilled. This has motivated us to further develop our own skills."

Reinforcing the quality of Innovedex 2023, a robotics competition platform that builds real-world skills for Thai youth.

Panyapiwat Institute of Management (PIM) is another partner that has come to support the organization of Innovedex 2023 this year. Dr. Thanyawat Somjaitaveeporn, Director of the Innovation Center for Robotics and Automation Systems (iCRAS), Panyapiwat Institute of Management (PIM), provided additional information about this collaboration, saying:

“For the Innovedex robotics training and competition, we have provided scholarships to the two winning teams, including the first, second, and third-place teams. The high school winning team also received a 100% scholarship (worth 502,500 baht) from the Robotics and Automation Engineering program at Panyapiwat Institute of Management. The first and second-place teams also received 50% scholarships for the same program (worth 251,250 baht). Additionally, for the training, I will be the instructor providing an update on AI for the students before they participate in the competition.”

Dr. Thanawat also pointed out the highlights of the Innovedex 2023 robotics training and competition:

“The Innovedex robot competition is different from other robot competitions because the challenge is to simulate the operation of robots used in real industry. Therefore, students will learn what real robots are used for. Typically, robots used in the manufacturing industry are sold with arms only, without grippers. The grippers must be designed by the students themselves. This approach is very similar to the challenge here: the organizers will give the robots to the students, but the grippers must be designed by the students themselves to be able to grasp the specified objects quickly.

The challenge in this competition is that contestants, both junior high and high school, must design their own interface. Therefore, students must have software skills to design a UI (user interface) that will show how the computer will look and feel, making it easy to use. The questions and scores are also assigned, and the robot must be designed to work according to commands.

"The Innovedex robotics training and competition program is an initiative that addresses the country's development direction, Thailand 4.0, and the development of targeted industries. The robotics industry is one of the country's S-curve industries. I must commend TKK Corporation Co., Ltd. for its intention to organize this event. The company has organized this event without any marketing or commercial interest. It is truly an initiative to develop the Thai education sector."