There’s a technology start-up at Waikato Innovation Park whose workforce have something in common – they are all graduates of the University of Waikato.
Torutek is an R&D-focused organisation where the team members pride themselves on both their agility and their ability to meet customer needs. The staff work on a variety of projects: facial recognition systems for helping problem gamblers; indoor security and tracking systems; Internet of Things (IoT) and edge computing solutions; and hi-tech consultancy services.
Last year Torutek launched a University of Waikato scholarship for an undergraduate student studying either a Bachelor of Engineering (majoring in software engineering) or a Bachelor of Computing and Mathematical Sciences. This year they’re offering the scholarship again.
The scholarship is worth $4000 and includes the opportunity for a paid summer internship at Torutek. Quenton Buser was the inaugural recipient and he has spent the summer working at Torutek enhancing their core systems and gaining valuable experience across the full development stack.
Another intern, Luke Schwarz, is about to start the final year of his computer science degree. He’s been working on developing an embedded safety device which can keep track of mobile workers within large buildings and facilities. Schwarz says the work experience has been fantastic. “My learning has gone crazy!”
Company directors Chris Yu, David Leaver and James McCosh all graduated from Waikato with Bachelor of Engineering (Hons) degrees majoring in software engineering.
McCosh says the young business is establishing a reputation for creating solutions that seamlessly blend software and hardware. “Software is a great enabler,” he says. “But often, software alone can only take you so far. One of our key advantages is our ability to develop custom hardware and software solutions to solve the really tricky problems, which in turn delivers the maximum value to our customers.”
In developing their maiden product, Torutek worked with New Zealand gaming trusts, the Ministry of Health, the New Zealand Gambling Commission, treatment providers, and another New Zealand company called COMS systems, to create a facial recognition solution for problem gamblers.
The product, known as Guardian, matches a person’s face against a database of self-excluded problem gamblers, so that if they turn up to a gambling establishment they’ll be spotted and turned away.
“The entire process is voluntary,” Yu says. “A problem gambler must sign up for the list. It’s a way for them to protect themselves and it makes it easier for all parties to comply with and meet their obligations under the New Zealand gaming laws.”
Guardian is currently active in more than 30 gaming venues and has proven to be a very effective tool in reducing harm caused by problem gambling.
Yu says one of the advantages in being small is that they can respond quickly to requests or ideas, use their skills to take a new or emerging technology and apply it to a real world problem, and turn that solution into a product that can be sold to other customers.
McCosh says Torutek tries to make sure their staff are happy, healthy and engaged. “We have a high-performing team of very talented individuals who are passionate about what they do, and our job as an employer is to make sure that they enjoy coming to work every day.
“Engineering is as much about people as it is about problem solving. If you are trying to solve a problem without thinking about the customers or the stakeholders, you aren’t going to succeed. Business is the same; whether it is colleagues or customers, what matters most is people.”
For more information on the University of Waikato Torutek scholarship go to: https://www.waikato.ac.nz/scholarships/s/torutek-software-engineering-scholarship
