International Debut: ITS RIVAL Team Wins Best Rookie Team in Australia

The AEROVAL rover robot from the ITS RIVAL Team operating on a lunar exploration simulation terrain at the Australian Rover Challenge (ARCh) 2026 at the University of Adelaide, Australia.

ITS Campus, ITS News — The Robot ITS suVa go InternationAL (RIVAL) research team from Institut Teknologi Sepuluh Nopember (ITS) has made history with its international debut at the Australian Rover Challenge (ARCh) 2026, held at the University of Adelaide, Australia. The five-day competition, which concluded last Sunday (3/29), marked the team’s first on-site international appearance and successfully earned the ITS RIVAL Team the Best Rookie Team 2026 award.

This prestigious competition brought together 18 student teams from various countries to test semi-autonomous rover vehicles in a simulated lunar exploration mission. The ITS RIVAL Team showcased AEROVAL, a research-based rover robot that represents a significant milestone and the team’s direct debut on the global stage.

In the final round, teams had to complete four missions. The ITS RIVAL Team achieved the following scores: 17.7 points in the Space Resource mission; 69.4 points in Post Landing; 54.0 points in Excavation & Construction; and 29.43 points in Mapping & Autonomous. With a total of 251.9 points, the young ITS team secured 6th place, impressively recording the highest points on the third day of the competition.

The ITS RIVAL Team coordinating during competition preparations at the Australian Rover Challenge (ARCh) 2026 at the University of Adelaide, Australia.

AEROVAL’s uniqueness lies in its four-wheel differential system with a rocker-bogie suspension, enabling the rover to maintain balance when traversing extreme surfaces. This mechanism resembles space exploration vehicles designed to move on sandy and uneven terrain, making AEROVAL resilient even in challenging field conditions.

Additionally, AEROVAL is equipped with a robotic arm for performing various tasks and a layered control system combining STM32 and ESP8266 microcontrollers at the basic level with an MSI Cubi 5 mini PC for advanced control. Its navigation system is reinforced with an Intel RealSense D3455 camera and Velodyne LiDAR, with a total of five cameras placed at strategic points. With this support, operators can monitor the rover’s movements in real-time as if controlling the vehicle remotely.

The five-camera system display on the AEROVAL rover robot belonging to the ITS RIVAL Team, used to support navigation during the Australian Rover Challenge (ARCh) 2026.

One of the ITS RIVAL Team’s mechanics, Andreas Agung Servia Pintarta, a student from the ITS Department of Electrical Engineering, shared that this competition was a valuable experience for future technological development. “From a technical perspective, the various challenges encountered during the competition will serve as evaluation material to further optimize the robot’s systems,” he explained.

Despite facing several challenges as the first team from Indonesia to compete on-site at this event, RIVAL ITS demonstrated strong teamwork and excellent improvisation. Long-term preparation and adjustments made leading up to the competition provided crucial capital for the team to perform at their best in the arena.

The ITS RIVAL Team successfully won the Best Rookie Team 2026 award at the Australian Rover Challenge (ARCh) 2026 at the University of Adelaide, Australia.

The Head of the ITS RIVAL Team Division, Karina Maheswari, a student from the ITS Department of Biology, also expressed her hope that the team can consistently break into global competitions. “RIVAL ITS is one of the youngest robotics teams on campus, the challenges are great. Our hope is to expand and win the main championship,” she said optimistically.

This inaugural participation by the ITS RIVAL Team not only achieves a prestigious award but also strengthens ITS’s commitment to supporting the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly Goal 9 on Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure, and Goal 4 on Quality Education.

Reporter: Iffah Najwa Ulya

by: itsdan
Source: HUMAS ITS