EVENTS & OTHER HAPPENINGS
iDP students transform concepts into solutions at EDIC Project Showcase 2025
“It is wonderful to see our students with different majors from across NUS combining their skills and expertise to come up with innovative solutions to real-world problems in partnership with our industry collaborators. We continue to be amazed at the creativity, ingenuity, and perseverance of our students and cannot wait to see what they do next!” said Dr Yen Shih-Cheng, Director of Engineering Design and Innovation Centre.
Our Year 3 Innovation and Design Programme (CDE3301: Ideas to Proof-of-Concept) students recently wrapped up a year of creativity and hard work, alongside MSc Engineering Design & Innovation (CDE5312: Beyond the Surface: Exploring Interactive Wearables) students.
Under the “Innovations in Robotics, Automation and Smart Solutions” category, Team VOTÉ, Wei Sheng Teh, Song Cheng Yan (both Mechanical Engineering), Lim Wei Jian (Electrical Engineering), Tan Ping Hui and Wong Weng Hong (both Computer Engineering), is transforming quality control in manufacturing with a no-code AI system. Their solution guides assembly in real time, prevents errors, and makes quality control smarter, faster, and easier for everyone on the production line.
This year-long project, in collaboration with Venture Corporation Ltd, started last semester and will continue over the semester break with a three-month internship to further develop their solution. Wei Sheng shared, “Working with an industry partner gave us a lot of freedom to explore, while still receiving guidance and support from our mentor.”
In the “Innovating for Healthcare and Wellbeing” category, Jonathan Ong (Computer Engineering), Brandon Lim (Electrical Engineering), and Samikshaa Ravikumar (Biomedical Engineering) developed REBOOTh, an AI-powered project that enhances the interactivity and accessibility of art therapy. Visitors at the National Gallery can explore their emotions, create personalised artworks, and enjoy a calming, immersive wellness experience.
“Seeing how National Gallery Singapore uses art to reach young audiences was heartwarming and deeply inspiring,” the team reflects. “It reinforced how meaningful design can be when it connects innovation with empathy and purpose.”
Congratulations to the award winners!✨
Most innovative project - Closed-loop mechanical recycling with microplastic mitigation
Most challenging project - GOONPOD: Increasing accessibility of robotic surgery through low-cost and compact training kit
Most fun project - Living Muqam: A multi-sensory VR journey for Uyghur Twelve Muqam Heritage
Most inspiring project - NASOBATT: Smart sodium-ion battery solution for mobility scooters
Best prototype award - Smart driving glasses for dynamic brightness and localised glare blocking
Best poster award - KittCat: Configurable Kitter
Charting the way forward for battery innovation
“IBA2025 is a landmark gathering for the battery-materials community. We are here not simply to share knowledge, but to chart the future of energy-storage materials together.”
Chaired by CDE’s Assoc Prof Palani Balaya (Mechanical Engineering), the International Battery Materials Association Annual Meeting 2025 opened today at the Suntec Singapore Convention & Exhibition Centre.
The week-long gathering brings together more than 300 global experts in battery chemistry, materials science and engineering, and features over 90 presentations by leading researchers and industry pioneers on solid-state, sodium-ion and next-generation battery technologies.
In her welcome address, Guest of Honour Prof Liu Bin, NUS Deputy President (Research and Technology), highlighted the central role of battery innovation in powering the clean-energy transition.
“At the heart of the global energy transition lies battery technology — the engine that powers clean mobility, renewable energy integration, and, more importantly, green stability,” Prof Liu said. “Platforms like this help ensure that knowledge is quickly translated into real-world impact through partnership and collaboration.”
Among the speakers in the opening session was Nobel Chemistry Laureate (2019) Professor Sir Stan Whittingham, one of the pioneers of lithium-ion battery technology.
Reflecting on five decades of progress, he underscored the spirit of collaboration and turning research into impact in the drive to make safer, longer-lasting and more sustainable batteries a reality.
“We’ve come a long way since the first lithium battery in the 1970s, but there’s still huge room for improvement,” Prof Whittingham said.
“We have to all work together; industry, national labs, and government. We have to work across continents. And that’s what meetings like this do.”
NUS Sustainable Futures Distinguished Lecture: Energy security in the age of data centres
Data centres can be built within two or three years, but a power system can take a decade. It is, said Commissioner Judy Chang of the US Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), a “timing mismatch” that lies at the heart of today’s energy challenges.
Speaking at the NUS Sustainable Futures Distinguished Lecture, organised by the Energy Studies Institute (ESI), Commissioner Chang described how the rapid rise of data centres and electrification is straining systems that had not been designed to meet the demands of very large discreet loads. Interconnection queues are backlogged, supply chains are tight, and electricity prices are climbing, all while demand continues to surge.
She identified three pressing priorities affecting the US market, but which are also relevant to Singapore: aligning infrastructure with rapid load growth, managing higher costs, and reforming planning and permitting processes to build new capacity faster and allocate the costs reasonably.
As Prof Lee Poh Seng, Executive Director of ESI, observed in his opening remarks, “AI-era compute, electrification, and re-industrialisation are reshaping demand curves faster than traditional planning cycles.”
Despite these challenges, Commissioner Chang was optimistic. “The grid has always stayed resilient, and I am positive we can remain resilient and reliable,” she said, underscoring the importance of transparent rules, allowing for regional flexibility, and collaboration across the stakeholders in the energy sector.
Her message aligns with the work of ESI, an NUS research centre affiliated with CDE, whose research aims to strengthen energy security and system resilience in the face of accelerating change while advancing a sustainable and reliable power future. Commissioner Chang concluded, “We’re really at the beginning of this path to solve the problem; to solve it from an engineering perspective, from an economic perspective, market design, and from a policy and regulatory perspective.”
Where ideas become impact: IDEATE 2025
How do ideas become innovations that matter? For 350 students across NUS, the answer lay in IDEATE 2025, a 10-week journey of making, testing, and learning.
Unlike typical pitch competitions, IDEATE focuses on the process: building, failing, refining, and realising ideas that can create real change. Co-organised by the CDE Office of Research and Technology, NUS Innovation and Design Programme Student Club (iDPSC), and NUS Enterprise, the event brings together students from all faculties to collaborate and prototype across disciplines.
From sustainability and assistive technology to women’s safety and healthcare, 82 teams set out to turn ideas into tangible solutions. Through workshops on innovation design, creative mindset building, and problem-solving, students gained practical skills to build and refine their prototypes. Guided by mentors and industry experts, 16 semi-finalist teams advanced to the Finale, where they pitched their prototypes to judges and potential partners.
IDEATE’s interdisciplinary format provided students with a unique opportunity to collaborate across faculties and disciplines, from engineering and medicine to computing and psychology, to design real-world solutions that make a meaningful difference.
Team bmETER from Biomedical Engineering clinched first place with FREESTRYDE, an intelligent compression sock that improves the quality of life for lymphedema patients. Using predictive technology, their design activates compression only when needed, addressing the limitations of existing constant-pressure solutions.
Team CS + Eli, comprising students from Psychology and Computing, took second place with an Advanced Unified Risk Assessment System, a digital health platform that empowers older adults and caregivers by making mobility assessment safer and more accessible.
Team Kiwi, comprising students from Medicine, Computing, Mechanical Engineering and Electrical Engineering secured third place with RescueRight, a project they developed to address a critical gap in emergency training. Choking is a leading cause of accidental death, yet most current training still relies on low-tech mannequins that cannot measure technique, leaving rescuers unprepared. RescueRight introduces a smart Heimlich training vest that uses pressure sensors and AI guidance to ensure the correct force, angle, and location during practice. Designed for first aid centres, healthcare institutions, and frontline training programmes, the system turns static demonstrations into data-driven, validated learning, creating a safer, scalable standard for lifesaving skills across healthcare, education, and certification settings.
Reflecting on the IDEATE journey, Team bmETER shared:
“We were hesitant at first, unsure of our skills. But through mentorship and teamwork, we built something far beyond what we imagined. IDEATE is a great opportunity for any student, even in Year 1, to explore creativity, design thinking, and innovation in action.”
Associate Professor Eng Tat Khoo, IDEATE Organising Committee Chair, shared, “IDEATE captures the essence of CDE — transforming imagination into impact. It not only empowers CDE students but also brings together talents from across NUS, fostering a vibrant culture of innovation, teamwork, and entrepreneurship that prepares our students to become future leaders and changemakers.”
NUS Safety and Resilience Research Unit (SaRRU) Public Seminar
On 27 Oct 2025, the NUS Safety and Resilience Research Unit (SaRRU) hosted a public seminar “Advancing Infrastructure Resilience in Singapore: A Systemic Approach” with speakers Prof Liz Varga (University College London), Assoc Prof Goh Yang Miang (National University of Singapore), and Dr Tang Yuchun (National University of Singapore).
Talks covered the adoption of ISO 22372 for resilience governance in a digital age and integrated assessment and optimisation tools to stress-test interdependent systems for net resilience gain.
We would like to thank all the speakers and key industry partners from various infrastructure sectors in Singapore for their invaluable expertise and spirited discussion. The conversations and connections made will undoubtedly contribute to enriching and advancing Singapore’s future national infrastructure resilience strategy.
This public seminar marked another step in an exciting partnership between the NUS Safety and Resilience Research Unit and the UCL Infrastructure Systems Institute.
Read more: NUS Safety and Resilience Research Unit (SaRRU) Public Seminar – Department of the Built Environment
CDE Staff Wellness Programme: DIY Gramophone Workshop
80 CDE staff came together on 4 November for a fun and interactive DIY Gramophone Workshop! Participants rolled up their sleeves to assemble their own gramophones, sparking creativity, teamwork, and laughter. Beyond building music machines, the workshop offered a hands-on way to unwind, connect with colleagues, and promote mental wellness through the joy of crafting.
HIGHLIGHTS
UPCOMING AND ONGOING EVENTS!
Experience CDE
Experience College of Design and Engineering (CDE) 2025 is a half-day event specially curated for Polytechnic, IB, and NUSHS students who are keen to explore and find out more about our 15 undergraduate programmes in CDE.