NCU Department of Mechanical Engineering Wins Gold Medal in AI Application Category at MOEA Smart Innovation Awards

The team from the Department of Mechanical Engineering at National Central University (NCU) has won the gold medal in the student group of the AI Application category at the 2025 "Smart Innovation Awards," the largest AI competition in Taiwan, organized by the Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA). This achievement highlights the university's outstanding performance in the application of artificial intelligence and interdisciplinary innovation. The gold medal came with a prize of NT$300,000, bringing great honor to the university.

The award-winning team was jointly guided by Professors Bi-Cheng Dong, Yi-Cheng Chen, Chan-Yi Liao, and Chin-Te Lin. Student team members included Ding-Yo Wu, Wei-An Chou, Chia-You Lin, Che-Chi Liao, and Wen-Yu Su. Their project, Implementation of a Precision and Highly Flexible Production Line, successfully integrated AI technologies with flexible manufacturing processes, proposing innovative solutions for smart factory demands. Their work received high praise from the judges and earned the gold medal.

The "Smart Innovation Awards," held for the first time by the MOEA, aims to promote the practical application of AI and strengthen industry connections. This year’s competition attracted over 1,253 teams from 36 countries, with only 93 teams advancing to the final stage. The gold medal winning rate was just around 7.4%, reflecting the intense level of competition.

The outstanding performance of the NCU Department of Mechanical Engineering not only affirms the long-term efforts in smart manufacturing and AI research by faculty and students but also demonstrates the strong capability in integrating interdisciplinary education with practical applications. The team employed both generative and discriminative AI models to achieve a highly modular and real-time configurable production line layout. Their project received high marks across all three key evaluation criteria: technological innovation, industrial applicability, and project completeness.

The College of Engineering at National Central University will continue to promote cross-disciplinary AI applications and industry collaboration, aiming to cultivate more globally competitive tech talent and contribute to the development of a Smart Taiwan.