Interview: “SMART-PDM Predicts Motor Faults Before They Occur”

Who is Ngum Breayon Kwe?
I am 22 years old, a Cameroonian and a graduate in Electronics and Communication Engineering with a specialization in Robotics and Automation from Sharda University, India.
From being the best student in Electrical Power Systems at the Technical Advanced Level GCE in secondary school with 8/8 Passed Papers, to being the major in Electrical Engineering and Industrial Automation at IUT Douala, and later excelling at Sharda University, where I consistently maintained a CGPA of 9/10 and above, my academic journey has been marked by discipline, innovation, and passion for technology.
Today, I am the Co-founder and Head of Operations at HippoAnglers Pvt Ltd, a marine drone company in India, and also the Sales Director for Rajshi Steering, a tractor spare parts manufacturing company. I am an OpenDream Scholar, a former Undergraduate Research Fellow with IIT Roorkee, Certified Beginner level KUKA Robotic Arm programmer and previously served as the National Education Coordinator of the Association of African Students in India (AASI).

You recently won an award in India. What was it about?
One of my recent achievements was winning the Grand Prize at the Edge AI Innovation Challenge 2024, where our team competed against 200 teams from over 60 universities across India. My teammate and classmate, Vishal Yadav from India, joined me for the competition presentation, and his assistance and support were invaluable in achieving this success. The award had prize money of 1 lakh Indian rupees, about 620,150 FCFA (or 1,082 US dollars).
As a Cameroonian, I have always dreamt of working with dedicated, innovative, and solution-driven individuals and investors to establish a chain of robotics-based industries across different domains and applications. My vision is to empower youth with skills, encourage exploration, and help them cross boundaries in technology, starting in Cameroon and expanding across Africa.
It has also long been my dream to study further in countries such as the USA, Germany, or Switzerland, not only because of their fast-growing economies and technological revolutions in robotics, but also for their open culture that encourages diversity, learning, and collaboration.

Tell us more about your innovation and how it came to win a prize through Sharda University, India.
My innovation is called Smart Predictive Maintenance for Motors (SMART-PDM), a cross-disciplinary project encompassing Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, and Electronic Engineering. The system leverages edge processing technology using the STM32 Arm Cortex-M microcontroller to run two artificial intelligence techniques and multiple machine learning models for anomaly detection and fault classification in industrial electric motors. By processing data directly on the device, it delivers high-speed, secure, and scalable monitoring, even in remote industrial environments, without relying on cloud connectivity.
SMART-PDM can predict motor faults before they occur and classify them accurately, unlike traditional maintenance methods, which are either reactive (after failure) or preventive (routine checks). This innovation helps industries reduce downtime, optimize maintenance, lower operational costs, and extend motor lifespans, making it highly practical for industrial applications.
The project was developed over 10 months during my undergraduate studies at Sharda University, India, under the mentorship and supervision of Prof. Dr. Pallavi Gupta, Associate Dean Academic and Professor. During this period, I created three iterations of the product, refining its design and functionality to reach the current version of SMART-PDM. 
Prof. Gupta introduced me to Edge AI training using STMicroelectronics technologies and has supported my journey across multiple technological projects, including drones, smart home automation systems, Smart NextGen screens, potentiometric linear scales, and more. Her guidance, along with support from the IPDC Lab, was instrumental in shaping SMART-PDM and preparing it for national-level competitions.
Sharda University has many schemes for project aid and sponsorship, providing creative students with the platform, resources, and funding to move projects and research through the different Technology Readiness Levels (TRLs), patents, publications, and conferences. This support was crucial in enabling SMART-PDM to reach its full potential and gain national recognition.
We submitted SMART-PDM to the Edge AI Innovation Challenge 2024, organized by DigiToad Technologies Pvt Ltd in collaboration with STMicroelectronics, competing against 200 teams from over 60 universities across India. After rigorous evaluation in multiple phases, our team, Edge Engineers, advanced to the final round of 10 teams and emerged as Grand Winners, earning both recognition and a cash prize of 1Lahk rupees. My teammate and classmate, Vishal Yadav, supported me during the competition presentation, and his assistance was invaluable to our success.

What difference will the invention/innovation make to man’s way of doing things?
This innovation marks a transformation from reactive and preventive maintenance to predictive intelligence for industrial electric motors, and is a cross-disciplinary project encompassing Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, and Electronic Engineering. Industrial motors consume nearly 45% of global industrial electricity and are critical to manufacturing, water supply, energy distribution, and agro-processing.
At its core, the system uses edge processing technology, leveraging the STM32 Arm Cortex-M microcontroller to run two AI techniques and multiple machine learning models for different levels of accuracy in anoma...