On 25 November 2025, students from the Computer Engineering Programme, Faculty of Engineering, Khon Kaen University (KKU), who recently won recognition by taking the championship at the 19th Embedded System Skill Contest (TESA Top Gun Rally 2025), attended an audience with Associate Professor Charnchai Panthongviriyakul, M.D., President of Khon Kaen University. The students were accompanied by their advisor, Associate Professor Daranee Hormdee, Ph.D. The meeting took place at the Conference Room on the 6th Floor of the Sirikunakorn Building at Khon Kaen University. The competition awards the Royal Trophy bestowed by Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn.
Associate Professor Charnchai Panthongviriyakul, M.D., expressed his sincere congratulations, emphasising that this achievement validates the students’ potential and reflects the quality of education at KKU, which successfully bridges theoretical knowledge with real-world problem-solving.
“I am extremely proud that our students not only secured the championship and first runner-up titles but also claimed the Top Score in four out of five competition categories,” said the President. “This demonstrates all-around excellence and proficiency in integrating multidisciplinary technologies. This intense and challenging contest provided a forum where the students proved their readiness to create valuable innovations that can be practically applied, especially in the crucial national security and defense sectors, which form an important foundation for the nation.”
Associate Professor Darunee Hormdee, Ph.D., the faculty advisor, highlighted the distinctiveness of the champion team, See-It 2025, which won the Royal Trophy along with three Top Score awards. She stated that their success stemmed from the precision of their development work, the comprehensive nature of their system, and their ability to seamlessly integrate various technologies.
“The TESA Top Gun Rally is a demanding testing ground for both technical skills and teamwork,” explained Associate Professor Darunee. “We focused on training students to think systematically, accurately define the problem statement, and adhere rigorously to engineering principles. This was combined with coaching in essential soft skills, such as project management, clear role definition, effective internal team communication, and continuous self-learning. These skills were key to the team completing all four project missions within the time constraints and efficiently resolving unexpected issues during the competition.”
Associate Professor Darunee further elaborated on the students’ strengths across multiple dimensions, particularly their structured project management, timely delivery of complete work, swift on-the-spot problem-solving abilities, and the creation of highly functional systems adaptable to real-world scenarios.
“What is even more commendable is that the team’s final product incorporated features beyond the given criteria,” Associate Professor Darunee added. “These additional features included real-time streaming displays, a complete redesign of the back-end system, clear workflow communication design, and other enhancements that significantly improved ease of use for the operational staff. Consequently, the team’s performance perfectly satisfied every dimension of the judging criteria.”
Regarding future plans, Associate Professor Darunee revealed that the team’s work will be advanced into a functional prototype ready for application in research and defense technology innovation projects in collaboration with external agencies. Furthermore, the knowledge gained from this experience will be integrated back into the curriculum to strengthen the next generation of teams.
“This competition strongly confirms the robust capacity of our students, as the KKU Computer Engineering Programme provides a comprehensive foundation across all fields, preparing them to tackle demanding problems and real-life scenarios,” she concluded. “However, more important than the victory itself is the opportunity we have to nurture a new generation of engineers who are prepared, creative, and ready to create valuable innovations for the nation in the future.”
The TESA Top Gun Rally, organised by the Thai Embedded System Association, was held from 9 to 15 November 2025 at the Chulachomklao Royal Military Academy. The theme was “Defense Innovations,” challenging teams to create a prototype military apparatus for detecting, responding to, and processing air threat data using unmanned aerial vehicles (drones) tailored to realistic military field conditions.
A total of 69 teams from across the country participated. Khon Kaen University entered three teams: two competing teams, See-It2025 and GearDinDaeng 2025, and one observer team. The teams delivered a remarkable performance, claiming both the champion and first runner-up positions, alongside Top Scores in four of the five competition disciplines.
Competition Results:
The See-It2025 Team secured the championship, winning:
- First Place Award (Royal Trophy)
- Top Score on Project Management
- Top Score on AI-Based Drones Detection
- Top Score on Command Post Visualization The team members were Ms. Jidapha Hongklang, Mr. Piyangkool Sarpak, Mr. Narubet Sriwarom, Mr. Thanyalak Sasiwarinkul, and Mr. Sippakorn Worawattananoonkul.
The GearDinDaeng2025 Team secured the first runner-up position, winning:
- Deputy First Place Award (First Runner-up)
- Top Score on Sensors Fusion and Navigation
- Top Score on Command Post Visualization The team members were Ms. Thidalak Muangpan, Mr. Chatchanan Panyaprasertkij, Mr. Parameh Makul, Mr. Apidej Purachka, and Mr. Teetawat Butthai.
Earlier, on 17 November 2025, the winning team and their faculty advisor were granted the highest honour of attending an audience, including a photograph session, during the “Commemorative Academic Project for Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn on the Occasion of His Royal Highness’s 70th Birthday Anniversary, 2 April 2025.”
