When heavy rain flooded parts of Penang this year, three Senior 2 students asked their physics teacher whether they could measure it.
Six months later, their sensor sits on a drain wall and sends an alert to a group chat when the water rises past a set line.
From classroom to drain
The sensor uses an ultrasonic distance module, a small microcontroller and a solar panel. The students wrote the code during lunch breaks and tested it in a bucket in the physics lab before taking it outside.
"The hardest part was making the box waterproof," said Kelvin Ooi. "Our first one filled with water in a day."
What it has taught them
The project has become part of the Senior 2 physics coursework on waves and measurement. The students will present it at the school’s science fair in November.
Parents who live in flood-prone areas and would like to know more can contact the science department through the school office.
Photo above: Senior 2 students install their sensor beside a monsoon drain.
