ADVERTISEMENT
Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider When soldier-trainees turn into innovators: Army ROTC cadets unveil next-gen tech for defense, disaster response

When soldier-trainees turn into innovators: Army ROTC cadets unveil next-gen tech for defense, disaster response

Published Jun 9, 2025 05:45 pm
An ROTC cadet demonstrates a research prototype called “Lidar-Equipped Low Voltage Electromagnetic Field Radiation Tester” to Maj. Gen. Ramon Zagala (middle) commander of Philippine Army Reserve Command, and other military officials during the first ROTC Innovation Expo at the Technological University of the Philippines (TUP) Main Campus in Ermita, Manila on June 8, 2025. (Photo: PA)
An ROTC cadet demonstrates a research prototype called “Lidar-Equipped Low Voltage Electromagnetic Field Radiation Tester” to Maj. Gen. Ramon Zagala (middle) commander of Philippine Army Reserve Command, and other military officials during the first ROTC Innovation Expo at the Technological University of the Philippines (TUP) Main Campus in Ermita, Manila on June 8, 2025. (Photo: PA)

Philippine Army (PA) Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) cadets showcased next-generation technological research designs for defense and disaster response during the first ROTC Innovation Expo at the Technological University of the Philippines (TUP) Main Campus in Ermita, Manila on Sunday, June 8.

The expo highlighted the ROTC's role in research and development that can contribute to the Armed Forces of the Philippines’ (AFP) implementation of the Self-Reliant Defense Posture (SRDP), said Army chief Lt. Gen. Roy Galido.

The winning research designs included a software-integrated thermal night vision system for military field operations to enhance visibility and target detection in low-light or no-light environments.

Also recognized research design was a permanent magnet direct current (DC) generator powered by a building-mounted Fibonacci wind turbine with an information technology (IT)-based charging station which aims to provide a reliable, eco-friendly power source for emergency use and off-grid applications.

Another research design utilizes an artificial intelligence (AI)-driven conversational agent called “Therapod”. It uses a multi-turn large language model (LLM) for conversational therapeutic interaction and speech-emotion recognition.

The final research design was a prototype called “Bawkbox”, an automated feeding and watering system for small poultry farms, powered by an ESP32 microcontroller. It is equipped with real-time monitoring systems such as water-quality sensors, load-based feed monitoring, and camera-based Raspberry Pi 4 for illness detection of poultry animals.

Galido stressed the significance of integrating Army Reserve components into national defense strategies and nation-building efforts as part of broader policy initiatives.

“The SRDP initiative advocates for increased involvement of universities and higher educational institutions in promoting science-driven industrialization, which is essential for strengthening national defense and security,” he said.

Major General Ramon Zagala, commander of the Army’s Reserve Command (Rescom), praised the research prototypes developed by the TUP ROTC cadets.

He noted their potential to assist the Philippine Army's operations during wartime as well as to address the needs of the Filipino people during peacetime emergencies.

Meanwhile, the Army Rescom signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with TUP to foster research collaboration, technology transfer, training, seminars, and workshops, in alignment with the goals of the PA's Reserve Force Development.

Related Tags

Philippine Army ROTC TUP research and development
ADVERTISEMENT
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1561_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1562_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1563_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}

{{ articles_filter_1564_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.mb-article-details { position: relative; } .mb-article-details .article-body-preview, .mb-article-details .article-body-summary{ font-size: 17px; line-height: 30px; font-family: "Libre Caslon Text", serif; color: #000; } .mb-article-details .article-body-preview iframe , .mb-article-details .article-body-summary iframe{ width: 100%; margin: auto; } .read-more-background { background: linear-gradient(180deg, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000 / 0) 13.75%, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000 / 0.8) 30.79%, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000) 72.5%); position: absolute; height: 200px; width: 100%; bottom: 0; display: flex; justify-content: center; align-items: center; padding: 0; } .read-more-background a{ color: #000; } .read-more-btn { padding: 17px 45px; font-family: Inter; font-weight: 700; font-size: 18px; line-height: 16px; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle; border: 1px solid black; background-color: white; } .hidden { display: none; }
function initializeAllSwipers() { // Get all hidden inputs with cms_article_id document.querySelectorAll('[id^="cms_article_id_"]').forEach(function (input) { const cmsArticleId = input.value; const articleSelector = '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .body_images'; const swiperElement = document.querySelector(articleSelector); if (swiperElement && !swiperElement.classList.contains('swiper-initialized')) { new Swiper(articleSelector, { loop: true, pagination: false, navigation: { nextEl: '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .swiper-button-next', prevEl: '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .swiper-button-prev', }, }); } }); } setTimeout(initializeAllSwipers, 3000); const intersectionObserver = new IntersectionObserver( (entries) => { entries.forEach((entry) => { if (entry.isIntersecting) { const newUrl = entry.target.getAttribute("data-url"); if (newUrl) { history.pushState(null, null, newUrl); let article = entry.target; // Extract metadata const author = article.querySelector('.author-section').textContent.replace('By', '').trim(); const section = article.querySelector('.section-info ').textContent.replace(' ', ' '); const title = article.querySelector('.article-title h1').textContent; // Parse URL for Chartbeat path format const parsedUrl = new URL(newUrl, window.location.origin); const cleanUrl = parsedUrl.host + parsedUrl.pathname; // Update Chartbeat configuration if (typeof window._sf_async_config !== 'undefined') { window._sf_async_config.path = cleanUrl; window._sf_async_config.sections = section; window._sf_async_config.authors = author; } // Track virtual page view with Chartbeat if (typeof pSUPERFLY !== 'undefined' && typeof pSUPERFLY.virtualPage === 'function') { try { pSUPERFLY.virtualPage({ path: cleanUrl, title: title, sections: section, authors: author }); } catch (error) { console.error('ping error', error); } } // Optional: Update document title if (title && title !== document.title) { document.title = title; } } } }); }, { threshold: 0.1 } ); function showArticleBody(button) { const article = button.closest("article"); const summary = article.querySelector(".article-body-summary"); const body = article.querySelector(".article-body-preview"); const readMoreSection = article.querySelector(".read-more-background"); // Hide summary and read-more section summary.style.display = "none"; readMoreSection.style.display = "none"; // Show the full article body body.classList.remove("hidden"); } document.addEventListener("DOMContentLoaded", () => { let loadCount = 0; // Track how many times articles are loaded const offset = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10]; // Offset values const currentUrl = window.location.pathname.substring(1); let isLoading = false; // Prevent multiple calls if (!currentUrl) { console.log("Current URL is invalid."); return; } const sentinel = document.getElementById("load-more-sentinel"); if (!sentinel) { console.log("Sentinel element not found."); return; } function isSentinelVisible() { const rect = sentinel.getBoundingClientRect(); return ( rect.top < window.innerHeight && rect.bottom >= 0 ); } function onScroll() { if (isLoading) return; if (isSentinelVisible()) { if (loadCount >= offset.length) { console.log("Maximum load attempts reached."); window.removeEventListener("scroll", onScroll); return; } isLoading = true; const currentOffset = offset[loadCount]; window.loadMoreItems().then(() => { let article = document.querySelector('#widget_1690 > div:nth-last-of-type(2) article'); intersectionObserver.observe(article) loadCount++; }).catch(error => { console.error("Error loading more items:", error); }).finally(() => { isLoading = false; }); } } window.addEventListener("scroll", onScroll); });
Join Our Newsletters

Sign up by email to receive news.

© 2025 Manila Bulletin The Nation's Leading Newspaper. All Rights Reserved.