Blueprint design of various sides of the E-Keramba, the work of its student team

ITS Kampus, ITS News – As a maritime country, the fishery sector in Indonesia is considered still not maximized properly. This led three students of the Department of Industrial and System Engineering of Institut Teknologi Sepuluh Nopember (ITS) to develop a floating net cage innovation with a feeder system called E-Keramba.

They are Alfiyan Rizki Maulidan, Fakhri Ihsan Nalendro, and Hanif Srisubaga Alim who are all students of the class of 2019. This innovation has been developed for about three months by this team to improve the standard of living of coastal communities, the majority of whom are fishermen.

(from left to right) Hanif Srisubaga Alim, Alfiyan Rizki Maulidan, and Fakhri Ihsan Nalendro introduce E-Keramba innovation

Alfiyan reveals various features with the latest technology that will be applied to E-Keramba. First, as already mentioned, this cage is equipped with a feeder system. This is the difference with previously developed innovations. With this system, the owner of the cage will be facilitated to feed the fish automatically. “The owner does not need to go to the middle of the sea to feed the fish,” said the student who is the head of this team.

Second, this innovation has a Mega Arduino chip that will regulate the Feeder system, the workings of the Global Positioning System (GPS), and the movement of the machine. Besides, the cage can be moved from a certain distance using the remote control, so that it can find a suitable position near the beach.

“If there are large waves or other natural events that can damage the cage, it can be as soon as possible to restore the cage to its original place,” said the student, who was born in Sidoarjo, about other functions of remote control.

Further explained by Alfiyan, the propellers and engines on the cage are powered by solar panels, which are located on each side of the buoy. Alfiyan added that the buoys used can be overhauled following the size of the frame of the net so that it can be built even wider.

Various features with the latest technology applied to E-Keramba, the work of ITS student team

Due to its many features, E-Keramba has also won international awards. That is to win the gold medal (Gold Medal) at the ASEAN Innovative and Entrepreneur Fair (AISEEF) 2021, not long ago.

According to Alfiyan, E-Keramba will also not worry anymore if it will be used massively. Because the cables used in this cage are inside the buoy so it is very unlikely to be exposed to water. This innovation has also been developed to small-scale prototypes and has been tested in a pond. “The trial was considered successful because all the features in it can work optimally,” he said.

Alfiyan and the team hope their innovation can be further developed until it reaches a prototype stage that resembles the original design. They also hope that E-Keramba can be used directly by fishermen so that their income can be more certain and measurable. “We also expect the productivity of Indonesian fisheries can be pursued optimally and as much as possible in the future,” Alfiyan concluded. (ITS Public Relations)

Reporter: ion13