By Claire Grant | Posted: Wednesday April 27, 2016
What do you do when the “check engine” light comes on in your car?
The “check engine” light illuminates when one of the many electronic control sensors in a car locates a problem and sends an alert message to the vehicle’s dashboard. The problem could be a major malfunction or any number of small faults that need adjustment; the issue is that the driver can’t tell if it’s a minor or costly problem, and whether they need to stop immediately or get it checked at the next car servicing. A glowing “check engine” light therefore causes worry, particularly for the long-distance driver.
The driver needs a real time insight on whether the vehicle is safe to drive, and that’s where an Audacious Challenge 2015 winning idea from University of Otago students Sri Themudu Bully Baboo, Casey Cravens and James Wilkes comes in. MechDoc Solutions wants to develop a cloud-based mobile phone alert system to indicate via a text message how serious the fault is. The driver will instantly know whether to pull over, or simply arrange for the car to be serviced.
MechDoc is now fine-tuning the strategy and the product software and hardware, developing an on-board diagnostics link, and are hoping this will will lead to a business in 2016. They are discussing opportunities with fleet managers, and hope to offer a comprehensive package to customers like corporate organisations or rental car businesses.
Team Leader Sri has worked in the automotive industry in Malaysia, before coming to the University of Otago Business School to study for a Master of Entrepreneurship. He has enjoyed the study environment in New Zealand and the support from Audacious. Networking has been key, and he’s impressed with how approachable New Zealand business leaders are. “There is no bureaucracy – it is no problem to discuss our ideas with the head of a big company. We’ve made great contacts through Audacious, and learnt how to use it to our strength in our own strategy – we have developed a business plan that is practical but also from the heart.”