Inspired by this condition, students from FMAE and SEEI ITB collaborated to create an electric rubber tree sapper that is equipped with a sorter. The product was named SADAPtech and is expected to improve the sap quality of domestic rubber farmers. This idea managed to win them a gold medal in the National Students Scientific Week (PIMNAS).

The students of the SADAPtech team are Yuman Satriyadi (13620062), M. Rafiuddin Rasyid (13120111), Pande Nyoman Dharmayasa S. (13120076), and M. Hilmi Fawwaz (18120050). The team was supervised by Dr. Ir. Aditianto Ramelan.

The SADAPtech device works by using a hand grinder which is powered by batteries as a replacement for a manual blade. This grinder has been modified to enable it to scrap through rubber tree barks faster and more accurately, therefore, reducing the time needed for the sapping process. According to the information that they received; the time of the sapping process has a major impact on the quality of the rubber sap. To achieve the best rubber sap quality, the sapping process must be carried out between 5 to 8 a.m. Therefore, this variable has a major consideration in the design of SADAPtech.

"Electric sapper device is already available on the market, so we took our inspiration from there. But on how to reduce the cost, we use a common hand grinding machine that is connected to batteries. Then we change its blade so that it can be used to scrap tree barks," said Pande Nyoman.

For its sorter, the team utilized a series of spoons that is moved by servos. Similar to its sapper device, this SADAPtech sorter device also utilizes batteries and other electrical components to sort rubber saps according to when the sap is gathered. Therefore, this device will ensure that the collected rubber sap will have a uniform quality.

According to them, SADAPtech has a lot of potentials to be developed further and utilized by rubber sap farmers in Indonesia. Its low cost and its ability to yield better quality rubber sap have the potential to improve the national rubber industry. However, this device still requires further development and studies to be optimal. Advice from rubber farmers is also needed to ensure that it matches what they actually need.

"This device is feasible in terms of price, usage, and function. However it still requires further iterations to reach maximum effectivity or to reduce its cost," said Rafiuddin.

Some of the improvements that they have in mind are to replace its blade with a smaller tapping blade to make the tool more practical. In addition to that, they also have a vision to equip SADAPtech with an IoT device so that farmers from different trees can communicate with each other. In its next development stage, they target that the improvement in sap yield can be economically viable to justify investing in buying this tool.

"We hope that this device can be used by farmers in Indonesia to improve the quality of their rubber sap yield. Therefore, the price of Indonesian rubber will become more competitive in the international market, considering that there is still a lot of potentials to be explored".

Reporter: Hanifa Juliana (Perencanaan Wilayah dan Kota, 2020)
Translator: Favian Aldilla R (Civil Engineering, 2019)