Felda Teens, Global Robotics Dreams

Farid Zakwan, Team Captain | Macy Lim, Lam Research | Ilylia Kamaruzaman, Founder, Roboticist Malaysia

27-Oct-25 12:00

Pause
Embed

Five teenagers from a Felda settlement in Pahang are defying expectations, and geography, to represent Malaysia at the FIRST Global Challenge in Panama City, the world’s biggest youth robotics competition. Guided by mentors from Lam Research and Roboticist Malaysia, these students from Sekolah Menengah Islam Al-Maarif have become the first team from Felda, Pahang, and an Islamic school to qualify.

We explore how access, mentorship and belief can transform students with no robotics background into world-class innovators, and what their journey says about the future of Malaysian talent.

Produced by: Richard Bradbury

Presented by: Richard Bradbury

This and more than 60,000 other podcasts in your hand. Download the all new BFM mobile app.

Categories: technology, Women in Business, the workplace, entrepreneurs

Tags: tech mentorship, robotics, felda, talent development, innovation,

Today’s Shows

6:00 AM

The 6AM Stretch

Thought-provoking discussions on ideas, people and events shaping our lives.

7:00 AM

World Market Watch

Vishnu Varathan, Head of Economics & Strategy, Mizuho Bank tells us where international markets are heading.

7:15 AM

Morning Brief

We recap global and local headlines from today's papers and portals.

7:30 AM

Morning Brief

Imran Yusof, Head of Research, MBSB Research gives us an outlook for Malaysia's oil & gas sector in 2026.

7:45 AM

Morning Brief

Sabrina Firdaus Aloysius, Senior Executive of Research from IDEAS, shares insights into how influencers shape Malaysia’s political conversations.

8:00 AM

The Breakfast Grille

H.E. Gerhard Eisl, Austrian Ambassador to Malaysia, discusses how Austria’s culture, innovation, and opportunities are strengthening ties with Malaysia.

8:30 AM

Morning Brief

Dr. Joanne Orlando of Western Sydney University discusses the impact of Australia’s historic under-16 social media ban.

8:45 AM

Morning Brief

Datuk Dr Kuljit Singh, President of the Association Private Hospitals Malaysia, discusses the government’s ongoing review of the Private Healthcare Facilities and Services Act.

9:00 AM

Opening Bell

(REPEAT) Vishnu Varathan, Head of Economics & Strategy, Mizuho Bank tells us where international markets are heading.

9:15 AM

Opening Bell

(REPEAT) We take a look at the FBM KLCI as well as regional capital markets.

9:35 AM

Ringgit & Sense

Kimberly Law, co-founder and licensed financial planner at Uno Advisers discusses what to do and what not to do with your first salary.

10:05 AM

Open For Business

Weisheng Neo, General Partner, Qualgro

11:00 AM

Tech Talk

Bala Kumar, Chief Product & Technology Officer, Jumio

12:00 PM

Enterprise Explores

Prashant Kumar, Founder, Entermind

1:00 PM

The Breakfast Grille Repeat

H.E. Gerhard Eisl, Austrian Ambassador to Malaysia, discusses how Austria’s culture, innovation, and opportunities are strengthening ties with Malaysia.

2:05 PM

Discovery Hour

An eclectic selection of BBC shows, curated with variety in mind.

3:05 PM

Beyond the Ballot Box

Malaysia’s interethnic income inequality story is marked by decades of inconsistent policy focus and overly broad ethnic categories. We speak to Dr Lee Hwok-Aun about a better way to understand and frame the issue.

4:05 PM

Health & Living

For years, lung cancer has been a leading cause of cancer-related deaths. We hear about some lung health developments in Malaysia which may bring hope to patients.

5:00 PM

Top 5 at 5

6:00 PM

Talkback Thursday

Have you ever experienced burnout?

PROGRAMMES