Researchers From QI Group’s Quest International University Win Dual Awards for Gamified Safety App 

When a team of researchers at Quest International University (QIU) in Perak, Malaysia, began developing a mobile tool to teach body safety to children with special needs, they weren’t thinking about awards. Their goal was straightforward: create something simple, engaging, and effective enough that even the most vulnerable learners could use it to protect themselves. 

That focus on purpose, not prestige, has now earned them both recognition and reward. In October 2025, the team’s project, a gamified mobile application called SAFE SENSE, captured two top honors at the International Innovation Competition (INNOCOM VI 2025): the Gold Innovation Award and the Best Innovation Extended Abstract Award. 

The recognition underscores the university’s role as a central pillar in the QI Group’s broader social-impact ecosystem. 

Turning Research Into Protection 

SAFE SENSE is Malaysia’s first gamified body-safety education app designed specifically for children with special needs. Developed by Tilagavati Subramaniam, Anna Arokia Nathen, Ruuhina Sani, and Thineshwaran Gunasegaran, the app teaches children to recognize, respond to, and report unsafe touch using interactive, scenario-based learning. 

“This recognition motivates us to continue innovating with purpose,” said Dr. Tilagavati. “Our goal is to create a safe, empowering digital environment where every child—regardless of ability—can learn to protect themselves,”  

The developers built SAFE SENSE after identifying a serious gap: existing awareness campaigns and classroom lessons often exclude children with cognitive or sensory differences.  

Children with cognitive or sensory differences often respond better to interactive, visually guided teaching methods than to passive verbal instruction. The SAFE SENSE project was designed with this in mind, using hands-on gameplay rather than traditional awareness-based lessons. 

The app uses stories, decision-making games, and realistic simulations set in everyday environments — classrooms, playgrounds, homes — where inappropriate contact can occur. It rewards correct responses and provides gentle prompts when children make mistakes, creating a supportive learning loop that reinforces understanding rather than punishment. 

Accessibility was built into the design from day one. The research team worked with therapists and special educators to adapt interfaces, colors, and audio feedback for children with attention, visual, or hearing challenges. 

From Pilot to Platform 

SAFE SENSE evolved from an earlier pilot project that used augmented reality to teach similar concepts. That prototype earned the Overall Best Exhibitor Award 2024, validating the team’s interactive approach. But while the AR version required specialized hardware, SAFE SENSE was designed for universal accessibility. A smartphone or tablet is all that’s needed. 

The team shifted to a mobile app to broaden access, ensuring the tool could run on standard smartphones and tablets already used in most homes and classrooms. 

Recognition for Innovation With Purpose 

At INNOCOM VI 2025 — which was organized by the Academic International Dialogue Academy in collaboration with Indonesian universities including Universitas Mercu Buana and Universitas Negeri Surabaya — QIU’s project stood out among 70 institutions from across Malaysia and Indonesia, particularly for its combination of accessibility, user empathy, and cross-disciplinary design.  

For the QIU researchers, that recognition is validation of years of research and development, but it is also reassuring to the children and families they serve. Following the award, the research team plans to expand the project beyond the conceptual stage, including classroom pilots and collaboration with educators and support organizations. 

QIU’s Role in the QI Group Ecosystem 

QI Group’s Quest International University was established in 2010 with a mission that blends academic excellence with social good. Guided by its enduring philosophy, captured in the phrase “Knowledge, the eternal Quest,” QIU naturally aligns with QI Group’s broader RYTHM philosophy of Raise Yourself To Help Mankind, carrying that spirit into its work and community.  

Education is a core impact pillar across the company’s structure. While its RYTHM Foundation runs on-the-ground empowerment projects for disadvantaged segments of society and drives sustainable projects across borders, QIU contributes through research and pedagogy that aims to advance inclusion, sustainability, and community development. 

SAFE SENSE is a clear example of this alignment. It addresses UN Sustainable Development Goal 4 (Quality Education) and Goal 10 (Reduced Inequalities), both central to the QI Group and the RYTHM foundation’s global agenda, while also supporting Malaysia’s Madani framework for inclusive education. 

Technology and Empathy 

In Malaysia, children with disabilities or developmental differences often lack tailored safety education. Many parents and teachers feel ill-equipped to discuss topics such as body boundaries or inappropriate contact, particularly when communication barriers exist. 

By combining visual storytelling with game-based interaction, SAFE SENSE aims to provide a language that can break down those barriers. Parents can use it to initiate conversations, while educators can integrate it into class routines.  

Its human-centred design philosophy reflects a wider movement taking shape across QI Group: the belief that empathy and innovation must move in tandem. From climate-smart agriculture training in Indonesia to inclusive education research in Malaysia, the message is consistent. Technology is at its best not when it stands in the spotlight, but when it illuminates new potential for people and communities.