NP News

Juggling school and business is no small feat, but six students from Ngee Ann Polytechnic (NP) are proving that it is possible. With creativity and drive, they launched innovative ventures that address real-world problems, making their mark as young changemakers and entrepreneurs. Their efforts were also recognised during NP’s Student Excellence Awards (SEA) 2025, which honour students who turn bold ideas into meaningful impact. 

Using technology and AI to help seniors avoid falls

From left: Kelvin Tan, Putera Daniel, Jeffrey Lee and Jovan Ong received the Outstanding Innovation Team Award at NP’s SEA 2025 for creating FallSafe

By combining Internet of Things, artificial intelligence and cloud-native technology, four Information Technology (IT) students created FallSafe, a mobile app that enables the elderly to conduct fall-risk assessments using their mobile phones.

“We noticed many elderly only undergo fall risk assessments after they have already experienced a fall,” Jeffrey Lee shared, “With FallSafe, they will be able to take proactive measures by assessing their balance, strength, and movement from the comfort of their homes.” Falls among elderly seniors are the leading cause of injury-related hospitalisations.

After completing a simple questionnaire, a user is required to undergo a self-assessment by walking with his mobile phone in hand. Based on the user’s movements, the app will capture how well the user walked and provide personalised recommendations, including strength exercises, advice on household hazards, and even prompts for consultations with healthcare providers.

To create a user-friendly interface, the team partnered with voluntary welfare organisation Lions Befrienders to test the FallSafe prototype with seniors at its Active Ageing Centre. After numerous rounds to understand the needs and preferences of the seniors, the team settled on an intuitive interface design that features bold buttons, minimal text, and audio cues tailored for seniors.

“A lot of the elderly live alone, and having such tech helps them know if they are at risk of falls,” said Muhammad Hazwan Bin Ismail, Lead Innovation Catalyst (Tech Care) from Lions Befrienders Service Association. “FallSafe is particularly beneficial as it is a standalone app and users do not need to purchase advanced medical devices.”  

Having attained their AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner certifications as part of an IT module, the team tapped what they have learnt to build FallSafe using the AWS platform, ensuring scalability, security, and alignment with industry best practices. They also effectively integrated Internet of Things and artificial intelligence to enable data processing and smart decision-making.

“Moving forward, we plan to adopt a social enterprise model and use the revenue generated to keep the service affordable,” Jeffrey added. “We hope to collaborate with government agencies and community partners, with the goal of integrating FallSafe into national health platforms like Healthy 365.”

Redefining dental hygiene with sustainable innovation

Business student Lingesh Sachuvanantham received the Outstanding Enterprise Individual Award for Kloss at NP’s SEA 2025 (Photo credit: The Straits Times)

Most people tend to overlook the environmental impact of plastic dental floss picks, but not Lingesh Sachuvanantham and his co-founder. They developed Kloss, a sustainable dental care solution that replaces single-use plastic floss picks with a biodegradable and reusable alternative, aiming to reduce dental plastic waste by up to 95%.

Kloss works by allowing users to reuse the 3D printed handle and replace the floss with a new strand made from bamboo and charcoal fibres. Unlike single-use dental floss picks, this approach is sustainable and cost-effective without compromising oral hygiene.

“We launched Kloss officially after our idea clinched the second place at the 2022 School Sustainability Challenge,” Lingesh said. “Using the $3,000 prize money, we bought a 3D printer and began to produce the handles.” The School Sustainability Challenge is an annual event organised by Junior Achievement Singapore, a non-profit organisation.

However, the journey wasn’t without setbacks. An attempt to mass-produce handles caused a printer malfunction and a fire, prompting Lingesh and his co-founder to rethink their production strategy for prototype testing. Since then, they have set up an office at NP’s SPARK! incubator space, where they test their prototypes using in-house 3D printers.

Beyond promoting sustainability, Lingesh collaborates with and conducts outreach to local dentists and schools to educate the public on the importance of proper flossing habits. To date, Kloss has reached over 2,000 individuals, and it was named a Top 10 finalist in the 2024 National Youth Entrepreneurship Award.

“Research shows that individuals who adopt daily flossing early on can save up to $15,000 in dental costs over a lifetime,” Lingesh shared. “We want to promote the widespread adoption of sustainable dental hygiene practices to improve oral hygiene and prevent costly dental bills for individuals.”

Having received trademark approval in May 2024, Kloss is currently awaiting a provisional patent.

Designing quality learning tools for tutors and students

Business Studies graduate Mabel Chang Rong Min received the Enterprise Individual Award for Stonks+ at NP’s SEA 2025 (Photo credit: Mabel Chang Rong Min)

With the private tuition industry thriving due to parents and students’ pursuit of academic success, Business Studies graduate Mabel Chang Rong Min saw the business opportunity to offer curated online learning packages that tutors could incorporate into their lessons. This led to the creation of Stonks+, an EdTech start-up offering curated online learning tools designed to deepen students’ understanding and aid long-term retention.

Unlike traditional assessment books, Stonks+ brings learning to life with mind maps, flashcards, and materials based on proven techniques like Active Recall and the Ebbinghaus Forgetting Curve. This approach supports private tutors who have limited time to prepare teaching resources, and offers a cost-effective alternative for students who may not have access to expensive tuition.

“Back in secondary school, I was very frustrated by the lack of interesting learning materials. While some students do well learning the conventional way, I’d always wondered if there were better tools ‘out there’ to support my learning,” Mabel recalled. “Stonks+ meets this need by offering a range of interactive and engaging learning materials.”

Mabel initially launched Stonks+ with a direct-to-consumer approach but shifted to business-to-business sales after completing NP’s Makings of a Business module, through which she learned about the benefits of creating stable revenue streams. Her entrepreneurial journey was further enriched when she had the opportunity to attend the Global Young Founder Summit, a platform for aspiring entrepreneurs to learn from and be mentored by technology leaders.

“At a macro level, I saw the potential for Stonks+ to expand globally. Singapore’s education curriculum is highly regarded, and with the right localisation strategies, I believe it can drive strong growth,” Mabel said.

Since its launch, Stonks+ has benefited over 15,000 students and was named one of the Top 10 finalists in the 2024 National Youth Entrepreneurship Award (Open Category).