Once again victorious, ITS Bayucaraka Smart Drone is Champion in Singapore

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  • 5015231023@student.its.ac.id
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Sebastian Adrian Nugraha (right) representing the ITS Bayucaraka Team when receiving the 3rd Place medal at SAFMC 2026 in Singapore

ITS Campus, ITS News — The Bayucaraka Team from the Sepuluh Nopember Institute of Technology (ITS) has once again achieved a proud achievement on the international stage. With the innovation of three smart drones, the research team successfully won third place in the prestigious Singapore Amazing Flying Machine Competition (SAFMC) 2026, held at the Singapore Expo Hall 2B, Singapore, last weekend.

Okta Dewa Arjun, the person in charge of the ITS Bayucaraka Team at SAFMC 2026, explained that in this competition organized by DSO National Laboratories, ITS competed in the High-Speed ​​Drone Flock category . In this category, ITS fielded three of its flagship fleets, named SoeroNgajeng, SoeroMadya, and SoeroWingking. “These three drones are designed to pass through obstacles in groups in fully automatic mode,” explained the ITS Physics Department student from the class of 2023.

The three smart drones created by the ITS Bayucaraka Team will compete at the 2026 SAFMC event in Singapore.

Regarding its superiority, Okta explained that the three drones his team carried relied on innovative Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) -based gate detection . Unlike other teams, which primarily used cameras, the Bayucaraka team utilized LiDAR sensors to detect track gates. This breakthrough allowed the Kampus Pahlawan team’s drones to remain precise in recognizing objects despite changing lighting conditions in the competition area.

The system’s robustness was evident on race day in Singapore, where Team Bayucaraka was the only participant out of 15 teams from Southeast Asia to successfully complete all missions with a perfect score. Despite encountering altitude sensor issues on one of the aircraft due to aging components, solid coordination enabled the team to quickly find a solution. “Our aircraft reached a speed of three meters per second with a flight endurance of up to 15 minutes,” said the Head of Administration of the ITS Bayucaraka Team.

Sebastian Adrian Nugraha (left) explaining the smart drone innovation of the ITS Bayucaraka Team at SAFMC 2026 in Singapore

This success is inseparable from the guidance of the ITS Bayucaraka Team Leader for SAFMC 2026, Farrel Ganendra. The flying robot research team’s pride was further felt at the medal award ceremony in Singapore, which was personally accepted by Sebastian Adrian Nugraha. Both are students from the ITS Computer Engineering Department, class of 2023.

This impressive achievement in Singapore also supports several points in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). In addition to point 9 on Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure, this research also aligns with point 4 on Quality Education through the implementation of student research. This innovation also supports SDG point 11 on Sustainable Cities and Settlements through the potential use of air transportation technology for future logistics.

The ITS Bayucaraka Team on duty at the 2026 SAFMC event in Singapore

Going forward, according to Okta, his team plans to add a Global Positioning System (GPS) module for the development of more complex autonomous formation aircraft research. “We are proud to be able to present this medal in Singapore as motivation to continue contributing to our alma mater and the nation,” said the geotechnical and seismology expert optimistically. (ITS Public Relations)

 

Reporter: Dicka Elkana Putra
Translator: Devinka Mutianeira

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