By Rosli Mansor Ahmad Razali
TAIPING: An innovation developed by four Politeknik Ungku Omar (PUO) students to help people with limited hand grip strength open vehicle fuel caps is set to make daily activities easier for patients.
The Fuel Cap Opener for People with Limited Hand Grip was handed over to the Occupational Therapy Unit at Taiping Hospital on October 20 to help patients handle vehicle-related tasks more independently.
PUO director Dr Salmi Che Meh said the innovation demonstrated the ability of Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) students to develop practical solutions based on the actual needs of the community.
She said the collaboration with Taiping Hospital enabled students to apply their engineering knowledge to develop products that could improve the quality of life of people in need.
Taiping Hospital Occupational Therapy Unit head and Perak State Occupational Therapy Profession field head Zuraidah Rambli said the device would be used during therapy sessions, while some units would be given directly to patients who needed them.
She said the product had the potential to help individuals with limited hand grip strength carry out daily activities more easily.
The innovation was developed by four PUO Diploma in Mechanical Engineering students Nur Adriana Iman Mohd Harman, Siti Zubaidah Abdullah, Chanjey A/L Rajapandian and Sutharsanan A/L Rama Murthy under the supervision of Dr Nur Raihana Sukri.
The project also secured first place in the Diploma in Mechanical Engineering category and the Innovation category at MEDSPEC JKM 2026, as well as first place in the Technical category at the Applied Project Excellence Exhibition (APEX) PUO 2026.
It also produced two research papers and one intellectual property in the form of a copyright, highlighting the potential of student-led innovation to contribute to healthcare and patient rehabilitation.
