Side view of Healthy Classroom (HCL) designed by three ITS students

ITS Campus, ITS News – Since the COVID-19 pandemic around the world, society’s lifestyle has to adapt, including studying. The online lecture system from home is the main idea for three students from the Instrumentation Engineering Department, Vocational Faculty, Sepuluh Nopember Institute of Technology (ITS) to make technological innovations to support online learning.

The team leader, Moch Raka Dwi, explained that this innovation was taken from their worries about the change to online lectures due to the effects of the pandemic. Although they still hope to return to their activities on campus safely. This hope made them think that in the future, new technology innovation is needed to support learning in the COVID-19 pandemic.

Armed with the knowledge in the fields of automation, instrumentation, and control, they initiated a technological innovation called HCL, an acronym for Healthy Classroom with automatic air filter and UV light systems. “This innovation is designed for building managers as organizers or related educational institutions,” he said.

Raka, his nickname, said that the spread of the virus can occur anywhere and is very prone to spread in buildings and rooms of schools and other educational facilities. Because according to Raka, world virus researchers also revealed the same thing regarding the spread of viruses through the air. Because of that, the existing educational facilities must be able to apply the concept of a healthy building as a learning effort in the new normal era.

Furthermore, regarding HCL, Raka explained that the innovation which was initiated would be equipped with an air filter and type-C UV-light which functions as a virus sterilizer in the room after use. UV-light type-C was chosen because according to research it can kill bacteria. “Also, that UV-light will turn on automatically after the room is over,” explained this final year student.

(from left) Moch Raka Dwi, Indriani Aramintha Mentari, Agus Zainal Arifin when showing their team’s innovative HCL design

This alumnus of SMAN 11 Surabaya continued, HCL he made was also installed with CCTV and a thermal imaging camera which is used to send signals to the system so that UV rays do not turn on while there are still people in the room. Since UV rays are very dangerous for the body, it is necessary to be careful in using HCL. HCL is also equipped with an alarm marker that can automatically ring as a sign that the room should not be entered when the disinfection process started.

Raka continued, the HCL innovation concept was also realized by installing a DOAS (Dedicated Outdoor Air System) which functions as an indoor air system. The way it works is to enter the air from outside into the room, which is equipped with a HEPA filter as a filter also with an added exhaust fan to circulate dirty and clean air.

Later, with this oxygen exchange, the system can also regulate air humidity. The results of this air filter system and UV-rays can certainly kill the coronavirus in the air or on the surface of objects in the room. “Hopefully this HCL will be able to minimize the transmission of the virus during learning activities at schools and campuses,” added the student from Surabaya.

(top view) Healthy Classroom (HCL) design designed by three ITS students

When asked about HCL’s advantages, Raka explained that HCL can reduce Covid-19 transmission in closed room conditions. This is done by improving air quality by using the fresh air supply subsystem and the disinfection subsystem in the form of UV light safely and automatically So the implementation of face-to-face learning in a closed room like the normal conditions can still be applied.

Raka revealed that HCL innovation is expected to be realized in Indonesia as a healthy building. This is because a healthy building is a building concept that considers the health aspects inside it, including the existence of a healthy air conditioning system and adequate lighting. So that in a pandemic situation like this time, the concept of healthy building needs to be applied because it considers the aspects of the transmission of the COVID-19 virus.

Thanks to this innovative idea, Raka, who was assisted by two of his colleagues, Agus Zainal Arifin and Indriani Aramintha Mentari, won the first prize at the 2020 Scientific Writing Competition at the Politeknik Negeri Banyuwangi, last October. This team also hopes that the HCL innovation can be an effective and safe system solution for the face-to-face learning process in the new normal era. “Hopefully, students in Indonesia can return to learning face-to-face at school healthily and comfortably.” Said him positively. (bob/nadh/HUMAS ITS)