ITE Electronics Engineering student designs self-help kiosk contactless temperature screening for Covid-19
He was given the opportunity to design a self-service kiosk that offers contactless temperature screening and contact tracing, and Mr Don Yeo Zhiwei achieved that within a month.
The 18-year-old Higher Nitec student at ITE College Central was selected to work on this solo project during his internship at Maxxmedia International, an integrated marketing company, as part of his final year in the Electronics Engineering course.
The original kiosk was able to launch the SafeEntry application and also dispense hand sanitiser.
Mr Yeo then enhanced the kiosk with a proximity sensor that detects people within a radius of half a metre and concurrently takes their temperature via an inbuilt contactless thermometer.
It is also able to scan the barcode on an identification card and activate the SafeEntry application in case the user does not have the application on their mobile device. These features reduce the need for manpower at entry points.
Mr Yeo told The New Paper he was initially puzzled when developing the functions in the kiosk, as he was still in the process of learning the required skills.
But with the guidance of his lecturers via video conferencing, Mr Yeo was able to pick up additional programming skills to execute the project.
He said: "I am very grateful to my lecturers as they helped me overcome the challenges I faced during the process."
During his one-month internship, Mr Yeo was able to overcome the challenge of facing last-minute changes.
He said: "When the company saw the product, they suggested amendments to fine-tune it and I had to be quick to make the adjustments.
"We were working on a tight timeline. So getting the product right was my only goal."
Mr Yeo's lecturer, Mr Teo Kim Keng, said: "Don was able to work independently and was able to withstand the pressure of meeting deadlines.
"He would often consult us and find ways to improvise the features."
Mr Yeo's self-service check-in kiosk, which has been deployed in ITE College Central, is currently in operation there.
He said: "I was initially anxious about the feedback I would receive regarding the kiosk. However, I am proud of how far I have come and am confident about the kiosk's performance."
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