iACADEMY students from the School of Computing impressed industry experts in technology with their thesis presentation of a cutting-edge project that addresses environmental concerns.

A thesis capstone project by Computer Science students that specialize in Software Engineering, OCDRON is a mobile app-controlled and solar-supported ocean drone prototype that collects waste on water. The drone is also capable of detecting the water’s pH level and emitting lime powder that helps to balance the acidity of the water through neutralization, creating a safer environment for various aquatic lifeforms.

“Our peers who were tech industry experts were impressed beyond measure that our students were able to produce such a complex apparatus with minimal costs, noting they were still undergraduates. This makes our program an excellent training ground for individuals who are set to take on real-world challenges and we couldn’t be more proud of this game-changing achievement,” Mitch Andaya, iACADEMY School of Computing Dean, said.

The students were able to assemble the apparatus in less than 50 days with a budget of P25,000. The group said that the cost is lower than what is being offered in the market for ocean drones with only a single function.

“Similar prototypes already exist in other countries, but our competitive advantage is the additional functions aside from the waste collection, plus the minimal costs we have used to create a timely, efficient, and cutting-edge technology such as this”, the students said.

The students thanked their thesis adviser Engr. Raymond Zalameda and Prof. Bennett Tanyag, the chairperson of the Software Engineering and Web Development in iACADEMY School of Computing, for providing support and valuable insights to their research.

“We are all organic students in iACADEMY, meaning we all graduated from iACADEMY Senior High and continued here for College as well. With that, we are very fortunate that we all experienced and benefitted from the Enhanced Program Curriculum where we are able to take more advanced subjects and allowed us to continue working on the projects that we also produced in our SHS and turn it into something even more awesome,” the students said.

The group consists of BS Computer Science majors with a specialization in Software Engineering Jean Michel Gabrielle Gomez, Allain Vincent Gaspar, Christian Gaspar, and Mel Ivan Magsino.

“This is really what makes our work as educators truly worth it. Seeing what these students have developed for the benefit of other people really makes us proud and fills up our hearts. I really believe the world needs to see something as game-changing as this and iACADEMY guarantees to provide the support our students need to take this project further,” Raquel Perez-Wong, iACADEMY’s Chief Operating Officer, said.