ICRCC Returns to ITS: Student Innovations Advance Affordable, Environmentally Friendly Energy

Published on
By
Spektronics ITS team preparing their chemical-reaction prototype car at the starting line for ICRCC 2026 race.
Spektronics ITS team preparing their chemical-reaction car on the starting line before the Race Competition at ICRCC 2026 — ITS innovation in clean-energy propulsion.

Campus ITS, ITS NewsInstitut Teknologi Sepuluh Nopember (ITS) continues to support platforms for environmentally friendly innovation and creativity through the Indonesia Chemical Reaction Car Competition (ICRCC) 2026, a prototype car competition powered by chemical reactions. The annual event organized by the ITS Department of Chemical Engineering was held at the ITS Robotics Center on Sunday, 05/03/2026.

Annisa Aniqah Rahmatillah, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Chemical Engineering Innovation Festival (Chernival) 2026, explained that the competition is one of the series of events within Chernival ITS. Although the competition last took place in 2023, this international-scale event has returned this year and was greeted with great enthusiasm from participants.

Annisa (commonly called “Iqo”) further explained that the competition aims to provide a creative platform and to introduce the ITS Department of Chemical Engineering. In this competition, participating teams develop prototype cars powered by chemical reactions they design themselves. “The chemical reactions here are expected to serve as environmentally friendly energy sources that are effective and efficient,” she said.

Student team mixing chemical reaction fuel for their prototype car before the ICRCC 2026 race heat.
A competing team readies its formulated chemical reaction for the prototype car prior to entering the Race Competition track at ICRCC 2026 — student-led sustainable energy research.

The competition comprised several stages, including finalist curation, poster and profile video voting, presentations, and inspections before on-track competition. In the Race Competition, Iqo said each team’s car was tested on a 15-meter track with a 9-meter target. “The car must be capable of running as precisely as possible given the specified distances and loads,” she added.

Thirteen teams advanced to the final round and competed directly, including Stoichiomatrix from Diponegoro University (Undip), Reatics from Gadjah Mada University (UGM), and teams from ITS. This year ITS fielded two of its leading teams: Spektronics ITS with Spektronics 30 and Spektronics 31.

Spektronics ITS team receiving the ICRCC 2026 championship award on stage, celebrating clean-energy innovation.
Spektronics ITS celebrates on stage receiving the championship award at ICRCC ITS 2026 — showcasing student excellence in chemical-reaction car innovation.

Overall results saw ITS claim the overall championship: Spektronics 31 took first place and Spektronics 30 finished second, followed by Reactics Antrasena from UGM in third place. “This marks the second time the Spektronics team from ITS has earned the overall championship,” Iqo remarked.

Both Spektronics teams hope this achievement will boost enthusiasm for superior research products from their teams and from ITS, showcasing excellence as a technology-focused campus. Their success reflects five months of careful preparation, including research and iterative trials. “We hope Spektronics will achieve even greater success for ITS in the future,” said Hadiyan Azka Ariaputra, Team Leader of Spektronics 31 ITS.

This activity demonstrates ITS’s support for achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), specifically Goal 7: Affordable and Clean Energy, and Goal 9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure. Iqo also expressed hope that participants will continue to develop their research and innovations beyond this competition and that the event will be sustained and improved in the years ahead. (ITS Public Relations)

Reporter: Bella Ramadhani

×