Radar Innovation from ELECTICS ITS: Detecting Palm Oil Diseases and Human Stress Levels

Image: Rezki (second from the left) with the team during a visit to the palm oil factory.

Surabaya, ELECTICS ITS – Combining the precision of radar technology with real-world problems, Rezki El Arif, S.T., M.T., Ph.D., a young lecturer from the Department of Biomedical Engineering at ITS, has become one of the key figures driving multidisciplinary research at ELECTICS.

Although he only joined ITS in February 2023, Rezki immediately started an innovative research project through the Palm Oil Research Grant (GRS), initiated by the Palm Oil Plantation Fund Management Agency (BPDPKS). In the same year, he proposed using radar technology to detect Basal Stem Rot (BSR), a disease caused by Ganoderma fungus that leads to trunk rot and is one of the major challenges in Indonesia’s palm oil industry.

Image: The Research Team Conducting direct Observation at the Palm Oil Processing Area.

What makes this research even more interesting is its unique approach, using non-contact radar to detect fungal infections and its strong collaborative spirit. Working with researchers from ELECTICS, the Palm Oil Research Center (PPKS) Marihat Unit, and Universitas Brawijaya, the project received full two-year funding from GRS, scheduled to be completed in 2025.

In the first year, the team successfully developed and built a radar prototype. Now, they are in the critical stage of collecting data from various palm oil plantations across Indonesia, from Sumatra to Kalimantan. One of the main challenges they face is not the technology itself, but reaching remote plantation areas, which often require long land travel through forests.

Image: Radar Data Collection Process on Palm Fruit Samples in the Plantation.

Despite these hurdles, the research continues with strong motivation. “One of the success indicators of the GRS program is real-world implementation,” said Rezki when interviewed by the ELECTICS team. The prototype is expected to be useful for farmers, palm oil companies, and government research institutions in the future.

Besides working on GRS, Rezki is also leading another research project under the Indonesia Collaborative Research (RKI) program, managed by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology. In this project, radar is used to detect human stress levels through non-contact methods. The system is designed as a support tool for psychologists, helping them to measure mental conditions more objectively.

Unlike traditional tools such as EEG or ECG, which require direct contact with the body, this radar-based system offers a more comfortable alternative, especially for long-term monitoring. The device does not replace psychologists but provides quantitative data that supports their clinical assessments.

This project involves collaboration with Universitas Brawijaya and Universitas Airlangga, two institutions that have maintained strong academic ties with  Rezki since his student years. He also continues to collaborate with his doctoral alma mater, National Sun Yat-sen University in Taiwan, which supports the research as an international partner.

Behind these two major research projects lies a consistent foundation, radar technology. Since his master’s and doctoral studies, Rezki has stayed focused on radar systems. He believes that this consistency is essential for academic development. “I don’t jump from topic to topic. My core is always radar; only the applications change,” he explained.

Although the palm oil research began as an exploration, Rezki plans to focus more on biomedical applications of radar in the future. Even so, he remains open to collaboration across fields, as long as it stays within his radar expertise.

To fellow young lecturers and students interested in research, Rezki shares the importance of staying focused and building a strong foundation.

“Spending years learning one topic deeply is never a waste. From that depth, new ideas will naturally grow and evolve in many directions,” he concluded.