A Unique Internship Placement Due To MCO
Internship Story Telling #2 @ ViTrox
Q: Hi Wong Kai Wern, how did you feel working in V-AgriTech, a new Vitrox subsidiary which aims to revolutionise the regional agriculture industry by designing and providing innovative and cost-effective solutions?
A: Hi, I am very grateful to be able to work as an intern especially during the Movement Control Order (MCO) was being implemented in Malaysia. I knew that it is a newly established subsidiary before I came and difficult challenges were awaiting me. I treated these challenges as my learning opportunities because I believe that the internship experience will definitely be beneficial to my future. At the end of this internship, I would like to declare that I achieved the goals that I set, which successfully broke through all the difficulties and got enough exposure.
Q: Can you briefly describe what project you involved in during your internship?
I became the project leaders for the Greenhouse IoT system and Smart Flower Pot.
The purpose of the Greenhouse IoT System is to minimize the labour intensiveness in farming activities. After reading some literature, human error may lead to low yield production. To deliver a prototype, a Raspberry Pi was used to receive sensory data through an RS485 cable. The received data were uploaded to various platforms for tracking and monitoring. The entire system took me about 2 months for development and 1 month for further improvement. With this system, the farmers can easily track and monitor their crops leading to agricultural sustainability.
On the other hand, the Smart Flower Plot is designed for Vitrox Academy, another Vitrox subsidiary, to promote STEM education among children. The idea of creating a wireless plant watering system that can be controlled via a smartphone application is introduced. Soil moisture will be detected by a soil moisture sensor and the collected data will be sent to Maker Uno for processing. Based on the sensory data, the virtual button, that uses to trigger the water pump, inside the smartphone application will be allowed to be turned ON or OFF for watering. Throughout this project, students can understand the fundamentals of hardware and software application.
Q: What did you learn during your internship?
Due to both projects were handled only by me, my decision making skill was improved as I was responsible for parts purchasing used. I required to do my own survey before any purchase to ensure that the parts purchased were compatible with the requirements. In addition, my problem-solving skill was improved as I needed to overcome various kinds of resistance while completing both projects. I learned a new programming language named Python and gained a deeper understanding of C++ and MySQL.
Q: Do you have any words for your supervisors and colleagues?
I would like to thank my manager, Vincent, for setting up difficult tasks and challenges so I could grow within a short time. Whenever I encountered any issues in the past, my colleagues, Victor and King Soon, always provided me with suggestions and pieces of advice. I am very happy as my colleagues were always willing to share their knowledge. None of my achievements during my internship was possible without the supports from them. I truly enjoyed myself within my 3 months of the internship period.
