KUALA LUMPUR , Jan 23 – Faculty of Artificial Intelligence (FAI), Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) recently conducted an academic visit to the PETRONAS Drone Centre (PDCC), KLCC, as part of the course Internet of Things (IoT) for Disruptive Technology. The visit involved a focused delegation of postgraduate learners comprising six Engineering Doctorate (EngDoc) students and five Master’s students from the Master of Science in Systems Engineering (MSSE) and Master of Science in Sustainable Infrastructure (MSSI) programmes. The session was designed to bridge classroom learning with real-world industrial practices, particularly in the fast-evolving domains of drone operations, digital inspection, and data-driven decision-making.
At PDCC, participants were introduced to operational workflows and safety practices that support the reliable deployment of drones in complex environments. The engagement began with safety moments and opening remarks, followed by an industry briefing on permitting and regulatory requirements, highlighting how compliance and governance shape drone operations in high-value facilities. Students also explored how drones enable “new ways of method” for asset inspection and operational excellence, including aerial inspection, thermography inspection, confined space inspection, and digitisation with 3D modelling. The briefing further showcased advanced applications such as optical gas imaging, gas quantification, ultrasonic testing, and project monitoring, demonstrating how IoT sensing and analytics can strengthen safety, efficiency, and maintenance planning.
A dedicated Q&A session allowed students to discuss practical challenges, technology readiness, and the skills needed to support drone-enabled digital transformation. The visit concluded with a Skybridge tour, providing a memorable close to an industry immersion that broadened student perspectives and strengthened potential avenues for university–industry collaboration in disruptive IoT ecosystems.
The academic exposure at PDCC is expected to create strong value for both students and the academic programme. For students, the visit sharpened their understanding of how IoT concepts translate into regulated, safety-critical operations, while also highlighting the importance of standards, risk management, data integrity, and professional communication in real deployments. For the Master’s and EngDoc programmes, the insights gained can be directly infused into course delivery through richer case studies, industry-relevant problem statements, and potential capstone or applied research topics aligned with drone analytics, inspection automation, and digital twin development. Overall, this engagement strengthens UTM’s industry-linked learning ecosystem and supports the development of graduates who are more job-ready, agile, and capable of contributing to the innovation of disruptive technologies.
