FROM LAE CLASSROOM TO SMART TECH DREAMS
CAPTION:Mckenzie Genzie, second‑year Electrical & Communications Engineering student at Unitech displaying one of his projects, Touchless Automatic Water Dispenser
BY FLORIN YAPO
WHAT starts as curiosity in a high school Physics class sparked a career. For Mckenzie Genzie of Morobe Province, that spark has grown into an impressive portfolio of smart technologies.
Genzie’s journey began at Bumayong Lutheran Secondary (Grades 9–10) and Busu Secondary School (Grades 11–12), where his passion for electronics was sparked in 2024 under the guidance of his class matron, Ms. Fove.
What started as late‑night tinkering with circuits at home quickly grew into a fascination with electrical power and innovation.
Today, he’s a second‑year Electrical & Communications Engineering student at the University of Technology in Lae, Morobe Province, UNITECH, driven by a vision to solve real‑world problems through technology.
His self‑driven projects already showcase bold creativity:
- Smart Home Automation using ESP32 & IoT to control lights and fans remotely
- AI‑Integrated Electrical Control Panel with energy tracking, voice commands & gesture control
- Smart Student ID System using RFID for attendance, dormitory & mess access
- Gesture‑Controlled Virtual Instrument
- Fire Detection & Monitoring System
With interests spanning industrial automation, robotics, IoT, AI, computer vision, and smart technologies, Genzie is shaping himself into one of PNG’s next generation of innovators.
Among them are a Smart Home Automation System using ESP32 and IoT to control lights and fans remotely; an AI-Integrated Electrical Control Panel featuring power monitoring, energy tracking, voice commands and hand-gesture control, and a Smart Student ID Card System using Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) for class attendance, dormitory and mess access.
Other innovations include gesture-controlled electrical systems, a gesture-controlled virtual musical instrument, fire detection and monitoring systems, a touchless automatic water dispenser, and a light-based communication system that transmits data through pulses of light.
Genzie also has practical experience in electrical house wiring and solar installations, alongside digital logic, traffic-light controllers, and Python-Arduino HMI systems for controlling electrical loads.
“My projects are mainly inspired by real problems and situations around me,” Genzie says.
Mckenzie said he is interested in using automation to reduce manual work, IoT for remote monitoring and control, and AI and computer vision to make machines more intelligent.
He further elaborated that long-term goal is to become an Automation and Controls Engineer, developing practical technologies for Papua New Guinea and encouraging more young Papua New Guineans to build and innovate locally.
