Jember, ITS News — The Institut Teknologi Sepuluh Nopember (ITS) successfully defended its first-place title at the 2026 ABU Indonesia Robot Contest (KRAI) while also securing the Best Design award in the final round held at the University of Jember (Unej) on Sunday evening, July 12. This proud achievement ultimately propelled ITS to represent Indonesia at the international ABU Robocon 2026 competition, scheduled to take place in Hong Kong this August.
Before lifting the championship trophy, the RICHIE team’s robots, developed by the ITS ABU Robocon Team, first overcame the host team from Unej in the semifinal round. The team demonstrated consistent superior performance once again in the final match by defeating Team Maestro Evo from Yogyakarta State University (UNY) with a score differential of 140.
Behind this achievement, Team RICHIE ITS Captain Muhammad Najmi Ihsan revealed that the robots’ performance relied on a number of innovations. According to him, the team developed the communication system, artificial intelligence (AI)-based decision-making, and mechanical design to ensure the synchronization of the two robots. “We developed all of our systems to ensure that both robots can coordinate with precision at every stage of the mission,” he explained.
Furthermore, Najmi elaborated that one of the distinguishing advantages of ITS’s robots over other competing teams lies in the light-detection-based inter-robot communication. Robot 1 (Triceratops) emits a light signal during the weapon assembly process, and Robot 2 (Rex) captures that signal through a light dependent resistor (LDR) sensor to synchronize their movements. “With this method, inter-robot communication continues to function even though regulations prohibit wireless communication,” he stated.
Beyond that, the ITS Department of Mechanical Engineering student also detailed that this capability relies on AI path planning and backtracking algorithms that operate at every decision-making point. These algorithms enable the robots to reevaluate their strategy when encountering conditions that deviate from the initial scenario, thereby preserving their opportunities to complete the mission.
In addition to AI, Najmi asserted that the Best Design Robot award also stemmed from a mechanical design that distinguishes ITS from other participating teams. Rex employs a three-axis arm mechanism, while Triceratops utilizes a forklift-like mechanism to lift the Kung Fu Scroll. “We tailored the design concept of both robots to match their respective mission divisions so that they can complement each other,” he added.
According to the supervising lecturer of the ITS ABU Robocon Team, Muhammad Lukman Hakim, S.T., M.T., the design also contributed to the robots’ consistent performance throughout the competition. He commended Team RICHIE for their ability to continually improve their performance from the preliminary rounds through the finals, despite encountering issues with several sensors during the quarterfinal stage. “Alhamdulillah, the team’s performance graph rose steadily in every match,” Lukman stated proudly.
Furthermore, Lukman explained that his team’s success does not rest solely on the robots’ mechanical advantages, but also on their ability to formulate adaptive strategies in response to match dynamics. In his view, the integration of electronics, programming, and game strategy constitutes a critical factor that enabled the robots to perform consistently and ultimately claim the championship title.
With this success in defending the national championship for two consecutive years, Team RICHIE ITS once again carries Indonesia’s hopes to compete at the Asia-Pacific level robotics competition. This achievement also reflects ITS’s commitment to supporting the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly point 4 on Quality Education and point 9 on Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure. (ITS Public Relation)
Reporter: Naurah Fitri