NYP engineering students graduating in 2022 collaborate with ORIGIN to enhance device that prevents mosquito breeding

Over 6,000 students from Nanyang Polytechnic (NYP) are graduating this month, including some engineering students who have already turned their knowledge to real world solutions. 

The graduates, who hail from NYP’s School of Engineering, have teamed up with experts from ORIGIN Exterminators, a data-driven pest management solutions company, to enhance the company’s ORITrap device.

The ORITrap device is part of ORIGIN’s 3 + 1 Mosquito Management Programme. The device is used to kill mosquito larvae and female mosquitoes via special odour to lure the insects as well as larvicide and fungus. 

Singapore has been dealing with a rising number of dengue cases this year. Cases from the first four months of 2022 have already surpassed the total recorded in 2021. 

The NYP team of graduates worked on extending the shelf life of these devices and improved the effectiveness of the trap by using solar-powered batteries and motion-activated sensors that send alerts whenever the ORITraps are moved or toppled. 

Some of the other improvements made to the device was using the low-power wide-area network (LPWAN), a wireless communication network for long-range communication, and developed codes to allow ORIGIN to accurately track the location of each device. 

This collaboration was one of the tie-ups with SMEs that provided students with opportunities to work on real-life industry projects and apply what they have learnt in class to help provide solutions for companies. ORIGIN has partnered with NYP for quite some time, said ORIGIN CEO Winston Baptista. 

In a press release on Thursday (May 5), NYP said it was a sharp learning curve for the students who worked on the project. 

“They had to learn and master the technology and tools of a relatively specialised industry within a short period of time,” said the press release. 

One of the graduates that worked on this collaboration, Mohammad Sharik Bin Ramli, was grateful to be part of the project as he believed that it allowed him to apply his skills on a meaningful project and impact the community positively. 

He added: “Through this industry project, I’ve sharpened my C++ programming skills and seeded a greater interest in the field. I will be serving my National Service shortly after graduation, but I am keen to further my studies and pursue a career in engineering.” 

ORIGIN plans to continue working closely with NYP on the manufacturing and eventually commercialise the enhanced ORITrap device so that it can be used in public places such as hawker centres to further maximise its use.

Mr Baptista said: “With the students’ enhancements to the ORITrap, it can now be better utilised to serve our customers by mitigating potential health risks. 

“This first phase of the development has been successful, and we are excited to bring this into the market.”