The awards ceremony for the 25th "Macronix Golden Silicon Awards — Semiconductor Design and Application Competition" was held on 7/26 (Saturday). A faculty-student team from National Formosa University's Department of Computer Science and Information Engineering, led by Professor Chen Kuo-Yi, won the Bronze Award and an Excellence Award in the Application Category with their projects "Seven-Axis Arm Service Robot" and "Biomimetic Robotic Fish for Pond Fishing Training," respectively. A faculty-student team from the Department of Electronic Engineering, led by Professor Wang Jung-Chueh, also earned an Excellence Award in the Application Category for their project "Smart Badminton Serving Machine," delivering an outstanding overall performance.
The Macronix Golden Silicon Awards were founded by Macronix International Co., Ltd. and the Macronix Education Foundation to encourage young students to pursue careers in semiconductor and applied systems design, and stand as one of the largest and most competitive semiconductor design competitions in Taiwan.
This year's competition attracted 271 teams from 32 schools, with only 16 teams advancing to the Judges' Grand Award finals — NFU was the only university of technology among them, reflecting the intensity of the competition. The competition is divided into a "Design Category" and an "Application Category," with judging criteria covering innovation, technical maturity, practicality, and market potential. Many award-winning projects from previous years have gone on to be implemented in industry applications, making the competition an important cradle for startups and technology R&D.
NFU's "Seven-Axis Arm Service Robot" project was developed by Department of Computer Science and Information Engineering Professor Chen Kuo-Yi together with students Chien Shih-Hsien, Chang Chin-Hsien, Chiang Chien-Hua, and Wang Li-Ting, offering a solution to labor shortages in the food and beverage industry caused by declining birth rates. The team designed a robot capable of automatically clearing tables and collecting dishes, improving service efficiency in restaurants while incorporating both intelligent and human-centered design. The project's creativity and technical maturity earned it the Bronze Award in the Application Category.
Meanwhile, Electronic Engineering students Lai Kuan-Chou, Yang Pai-Hsun, Wu Po-Kuan, and Hsu Li-Ling, under the guidance of Professor Wang Jung-Chueh, developed a "Smart Badminton Serving Machine with Multiple Shot Types," while Professor Chen Kuo-Yi led Computer Science and Information Engineering students Chang Chin-Hsien, Chien Shih-Hsien, Hsiao Yu-Tang, and Liu Tsung-Hsiu in jointly developing the "Biomimetic Robotic Fish" for pond fishing training. Both projects earned "Excellence Award" recognition, showcasing the university's cross-disciplinary application capabilities.
NFU's teams stood out among numerous participating schools this year, highlighting the strength of technical and vocational education in combining theory with practice, and bringing great honor to the university. Faculty, students, and alumni alike expressed that this achievement not only recognizes the hard work of faculty and students, but also underscores NFU's ongoing strength in research, development, and innovation.
Article provided by: Department of Computer Science and Information Engineering
Photos provided by: Macronix Education Foundation
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| NFU's Department of Computer Science and Information Engineering team's "Seven-Axis Arm Service Robot" can automatically clear tables and collect dishes, addressing labor shortages in the food and beverage industry. |
NFU's Department of Computer Science and Information Engineering team's "Seven-Axis Arm Service Robot" wins the Bronze Award in the Application Category; the winning students pose for a photo with Macronix Chairman Wu Min-Chiu (3rd from left). |