UNDIP, Kuala Lumpur (22/5) – The Vocational School of Universitas Diponegoro (UNDIP) has once again achieved an outstanding accomplishment on the international stage. The Vocasignora Team from the Mechanical Design Engineering Study Program successfully won a Gold Medal and the prestigious Best International Invention and Innovation Award from the National Research Council of Thailand (NRCT) at the World Young Inventors Exhibition (WYIE) 2026 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
WYIE 2026 is part of the International Invention, Innovation and Technology Exhibition (ITEX), one of the world’s largest international innovation competitions. This year’s event featured more than 1,000 innovative projects from 17 countries, including Malaysia, Algeria, China, Indonesia, Hong Kong, Oman, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, Macau, Qatar, and others.
The Vocasignora Team was supervised directly by the Head of the Mechanical Design Engineering Study Program, Dr. Sri Utami Handayani, S.T., M.T., with Marska Fakhri Mulyana serving as team leader and members Rizkiyan Maulana, Suci Indah Maulidia, and Wilujeng Riyani. They successfully captured the judges’ attention through their innovation titled:
“Vocasignora: Implementation of Smart Technology in Communication Processes to Assist Deaf and Speech-Impaired Individuals.”
Vocasignora is a communication technology based on a smart system and Artificial Intelligence (AI) designed to help deaf and speech-impaired individuals communicate with the general public. The technology can translate sign language into speech and convert speech to text in real time. This enables more inclusive and accessible two-way communication.
Marska Fakhri Mulyana explained that the innovation is the third-generation development of the system, continuously refined by the team. In the latest version, the AI system has been improved in terms of responsiveness, sign language recognition accuracy, and user comfort.
“In this latest development, we focused on improving sign language recognition accuracy and system responsiveness so users can communicate more comfortably and effectively,” he stated.
The achievement of winning both the Gold Medal and the Best International Invention and Innovation Award from the National Research Council of Thailand proves that UNDIP Vocational School students are capable of producing competitive technological innovations with meaningful societal impact. “We hope this innovation can continue to be developed and eventually provide real benefits to the wider community,” Marska added.
This achievement would not have been possible without the support of Universitas Diponegoro’s World Class University Program and various partners, including PT Pupuk Kalimantan Timur, PT Jasamarga, PT Semen Gresik Rembang, and IKA PAT FNGT D3 D4 Teknik Mesin Vokasi UNDIP. These partners provided funding support for the development of the innovation and the team’s participation in the international WYIE 2026 competition in Malaysia. (Public Communication/UNDIP/SV)