A team of engineering students from Khon Kaen University has won a Medallion for Excellence in the Mobile Robotics category at the 14th WorldSkills ASEAN competition, held in Manila, Philippines, from August 24-28, 2025.

        Wachara Malasri and Suwijak Jakwachot, students in the Automation, Robotics, and Artificial Intelligence program, represented Thailand in the team-based event. The pair faced intense pressure, competing closely with the former ASEAN champions from Singapore.

          The competition came down to a dramatic final day when the Thai team experienced a critical program malfunction. With only five minutes remaining to complete the task, their robot successfully collected two items. In contrast, the Singaporean team’s robot collected four items in 15 minutes, securing them the gold medal.

         Due to the limited number of participants in the category—only Thailand, Singapore, and the Philippines—no silver or bronze medals were awarded. Instead, the Thai team’s performance earned them the Medallion for Excellence.

           “During the competition, I felt stressed and under pressure every second,” said Wachara Malasri. “It was a challenge to compete so closely with Singapore. We are disappointed about the program issue on the final day, but we are proud to have won this medallion for Thailand.”

The students applied a range of engineering skills, including programming in Python, Java, and C++, as well as using PID equations for robot control.

          Suwijak Jakwachot described the five-day event as an invaluable experience that forced him to adapt to unfamiliar tools, environments, and time constraints. “I learned to face and solve problems as they arose,” he said. “This experience has clearly enhanced my skills in tool usage, programming, and systematic thinking, bringing my work up to international standards.”

          The competition is considered a starting point for the young engineers. The team will continue training for the upcoming Asian skills competition in Taipei this November, followed by the international WorldSkills competition in Shanghai in 2026.