SAFMC is a prestigious UAV technology competition in which institutions from various countries participate annually. The BUCINPRO team consists of Jeffrey Sirait (Aerospace Engineering) and Manggora Zerah Kristina Simanjuntak (Materials Engineering). The two competed in the Man-Machine category on their own, without external funding and without the knowledge of their academic advisors.

Jeffrey’s final project is titled “Development of a Wearable Drone Controller,” which is a sleek and reliable glove that allows pilots to control a drone through hand movements. This glove works with an IMU sensor that detects palm movements. Data from these sensors is processed by a microcontroller along with input from auxiliary buttons that function similarly to a standard remote control, then transmitted via a transmitter mounted on the glove to communicate directly with the drone.

Amid competitors who rely on multiple remotes and teams of up to five people, the two became the only participants to use gloves as controllers.

“Hands are the body parts we use most frequently in our daily lives, so they adapt more easily when used for something new,” said Jeffrey.

He chose an international competition as a testing ground. “In my opinion, it’s rare for someone to validate their thesis theory directly through a competition. The point isn’t just the gloves, but whether the system itself is truly sound,” he said.

Preparations began in December 2025. Jeffrey designed the system from Tokyo, where he was participating in a student exchange as an International Undergraduate Program (IUP) student, while Manggora handled the assembly in Bandung. By February, the system was running reliably and ready to be taken to Singapore when competition day arrived.

This isn’t Jeffrey’s debut at SAFMC. For two consecutive years prior, he won a Gold Medal and Best International Team award with the ITB Aksantara Team, an experience that gave him deep insight into the competition’s evolving trends year after year.

However, handling everything as a duo remained challenging. Other teams, from Surabaya to international participants from Taiwan, Malaysia, and Singapore, arrived with much larger teams.

“We initially felt capable, but as we went along, we hit a slump. Never overestimate your own abilities,” said Manggora.

There was one question that kept pushing him forward: could two people compete against teams that seemed far stronger?

“Our answer at the time was to just give it a try. Even if we didn’t win, we’d be satisfied,” she said.

Their victory came from two factors: the system they had prepared ran flawlessly, while one of the top-seeded teams was disqualified due to technical issues. For them, the medal was still a bonus.

The BUCINPRO team believes that Indonesian students have immense potential on the international stage because their ideas are just as innovative. The real challenge lies in the courage to try and the ability to collaborate in bringing those ideas to life.

“No matter how outlandish the idea, give it a try. Whether you win or not, what matters is feeling satisfied because you gave it a shot,” said Jeffrey.

(Jekky, Mining Engineering 2023)