KRI is a robotics competition organized annually by the National Achievement Center of the Ministry of Education and Culture of the Republic of Indonesia. After two years of being held online, this year’s contest commenced onsite at ITS (Institut Teknologi Sepuluh November), Surabaya, from 29 June to 3 July 2022. The regional rounds of the competition were carried out beforehand from 7-13 June 2022.

Members of ITB URO sent delegates consisting of the field and non-field groups. “The field group is directly involved in the competition whereas the non-field group operates behind the scenes, preparing the necessary programs and electrical components to be used,” Bayu Septiadi, the Chief Executive of ITB URO at 2022 KRI, explained. Both groups are further divided into several teams, with 4 people forming the managerial team. Of the participating teams, 14 people comprised the Garudago Team, followed by 16 people in the Dagozilla Team and 15 people in the Ganesis Team.

This accomplishment is a huge step-up from the previous year. “There are many positive things that can be brought home from this year’s contest, one of which is the unforgettable experience for each team. This is because none of the teams had won last year,” Bayu continued.

Despite their achievements, students still faced some obstacles during the competition. One of them, as stated by the Garudago Team, is the preparation and manufacturing issues. “Aside from most batch 2019 students having their mandatory internships these days, our robots are only fully equipped the day before our departure. Thus, both drivers and testers do not have enough time to practice," the leader of the Garudago Team, Kevin Dominico, recounted. "We decided to bring some of the properties to Surabaya. Our original plan was to train comprehensively from evening till tomorrow. Unfortunately, that plan ended up being canceled due to the bus arriving late at the lodging. We also had to unload all the equipment upon arrival. Nevertheless, we managed to perform several improvements and train the day after."

Other teams like the Dagozilla Team also faced similar concerns in preparations. Unlike the Garudago Team, they are unable to claim a winning spot in the Robotics Football category. The team thought the core of their problem lies in the facilities and room prepared before the big day.

“We had requested a room days before, yet we were given one a week before the regional rounds. Due to this, we could not fully tune and practice before those seven days,” Agape, the leader of the Dagozilla Team, added. From this incident, he suggested the team to book both field and room all year round so that they do not need to move around for practice.

Albeit the technical issues, all participants wished to succeed more in the future. “We hope to continuously strive for the best, get more awards, and pass our knowledge to the next participants,” Bayu concluded.

Reporter: Kevin Agriva Ginting (Geodesy and Geomatics Engineering, 2020)
Photo: ITB URO
Translator: Ruth Nathania (Environmental Engineering, 2019)