The future belongs to those who innovate with purpose — and at vHack 2025, we saw it firsthand. Proudly organised by Universiti Sains Malaysia's Computer Science Student Society, and supported by partners like us at CelcomDigi, vHack brought together nearly 100 brilliant finalists from across Malaysia — all ready to solve real-world problems through innovation. Among Malaysia’s brightest young talents, one team stood out: Hydronet — made up of Lee Ze Xun and Loh Xin Ru, two final-year Electrical Engineering students from University of Malaya — who developed a smart manhole monitoring system to make underground infrastructure safer, smarter, and more efficient. What started as a research on Kuala Lumpur’s frequent flooding quickly evolved when they discovered that manual sewage maintenance still causes serious injuries and deaths across Asia — a problem often overlooked. They asked a simple but powerful question: "Why are we still sending people underground when we could send technology instead?" Their solution aims not only to prevent floods but also to bring automation and intelligence to the often-overlooked underground spaces of our cities. At CelcomDigi, we believe that while #5G, #AI, and #IoT can drive transformation, it’s people like these young innovators who will shape a better tomorrow. We’re proud to support platforms like vHack, which empower the next generation to build a safer, smarter future for all. We also want to thank our experts, Devtar Singh, Ginny Phuah, and Stephanie Leong, who contributed their time to mentor the participants and serve as judges for the hackathon. Congratulations once again to Hydronet — we can't wait to see where your ideas will lead next! #GrowWithPurpose #BuildWithTrust
What an inspiring story! We find Hydronet particularly exciting, since we're naturally interested in safety. Clever young people - we love the way they innovate so fearlessly: as you say, 'with purpose'.