The Philippine Online Chronicles

In any university, engineering is often vaunted as among the most difficult courses.  Why not!  They have a surfeit of the toughest subjects -- Mathematics in all its mind- boggling variants, Physics, Chemistry, and other Science subjects.  That is why drop-out rates are among the highest for Engineering students in any school.  Many either voluntarily transfer to another college or get kicked out for below-standard academic performance.

It is no different at UP College of Engineering.  The demands of studying are awesome.  They get lower than usual grades compared with other students in other colleges.  An overwhelming majority of students have more than nodding acquaintance with 4 (conditional) and 5 (flunked) marks.

Thesis requirements are also tough.  But there is an upside.  At the Wireless Engineering Lab of the Electrical and Electronics Engineering Institute (sometimes called Triple E), graduating students get state-of-the-art facilities plus expert mentoring from thesis advisers in putting theories into the test and then into action.

Gary Villame, who graduated magna cum laude with a BS in Electronics and Communications Engineering in 2008, describes how working in the Wireless Communications Engineering Lab helped him and other classmates almost seamlessly translate their thesis into a profitable, income-generating business.

The lab was once their 'playground'

Gary admits that he and his thesis mates were not friends at first.  But  the project required them to meet regularly and work elbow to elbow.   They eventually, inevitably became bosom buddies, a relationship that extended beyond the walls of the laboratory.

It was 2006 then, a time when RFID or radio frequency identification was a fairly new buzzword.  It was thought at the time to likely replace the barcode in retail and warehouse management.  The technology works by using a tag for identification and tracking purposes through radio waves.

The group’s thesis adviser, Dr. Joel Joseph Marciano, Jr., broached the idea of developing an RFID reader as thesis.  Shortly, the group began working on a prototype, which used an advanced architecture and digital signal processing technique.

In 2006, the project  won them the top prize in the Philippine Emerging Startups Open, a contest sponsored by the Ayala Foundation aiming to promote innovative and technology-driven business ideas.

Gary says their proprietary technology took RFID a step further in that the reader could detect an RFID tag accurately at a longer distance.

Enterprising graduates

Unlike many graduates who think of working for large companies or going abroad for greener pastures, Gary and his college buddies decided to put up their own business based on their college thesis.

While pursuing their master’s degree in Electrical Engineering, also in UP Diliman under a scholarship grant from the Department of Science and Technology, they formed Itemhound Corporation.

Their startup company was introduced to the public last February 24 during the launch of the Enterprise Center for Technopreneurship at the UP National Engineering Center.

Gary and his fellow founders John Paulo Adaoag, Roy Flores, and Mark Gil Manalangsang recognize the potential of RFID technology in business and commerce.  They are initially focusing on customizing solutions for their clients as a systems integrator.

The greatest challenge not only to the firm but also to the entire RFID industry is lowering the cost of the RFID tags, which still remains somewhat prohibitive.  In some markets the tags have replaced the barcodes because of their important advantages over the older technology, like detection over wider distances.  However, in the short term, the RFID tags are not foreseen to completely replace the barcodes, due in part to cost considerations.

Nevertheless, Gary and his teammates look beyond the short term.  Together with their adviser, Dr. Marciano, they constantly look out for ways to improve the technology.

They did what most students wouldn’t: finish school and put up a business.  While many people view entrepreneurship as a mere second choice to landing a job after school, Gary and his partners immediately took the enterprising road.   Backed with impressive academic credentials that could have made top-brass employers knocking on their doors, they found entrepreneurship as fulfilling as any other career option.

Photo credits: Paulo Adaoag. Some rights reserved.

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