ITS Spektronics Team with one of the organizers as well as the judge (orange shirt) in freetime of the Synergicon Southern Asia Region Chem-E-Car Competition in India

ITS Campus, ITS News – The Spektronics Team of Institut Teknologi Sepuluh Nopember (ITS) has once again shown their glory on the world stage. At this moment, through research and innovation, the proud ITS prototype car team successfully won the 1st place in the Race Competition and the 3rd place in the Poster Competition at the Synergicon Southern Asia Region Chem-E-Car Competition organized by the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE), offline in India for two days until the last Sunday (20/8).

Bimo Bintang Aulia, ITS Spektronics Team Leader in India, said that the competition his team participated in was a car prototype competition driven by chemical reactions. Besides, this competition also has a poster competition which was used as a medium for presentations on safety and the feasibility of cars. “The poster explains about the innovations that are carried out in our Spektronics 23 car,” he explained.

The car made by Bimo and the team uses a chemical reaction in the form of the decomposition of Hydrogen peroxide with a Ferric chloride catalyst. The results of this chemical reaction will produce oxygen gas pressure which functions to drive the car. “As long as the oxygen pressure in the reactor is still there, the car will continue to go,” explained the 2020 Chemical Engineering student.

ITS Spektronics Team (in blue suit) explains the preparation race for the Spektronics 23 car prototype to other participants (left photo) and the judges (right photo) of the Synergicon Southern Asia Region Chem-E-Car event in India

In addition to oxygen pressure to propel the car, the team guided by Dr. Rendra Panca Anugraha ST also provides innovations in the driving mechanism. For this competition in India, the driving mechanism created for Spektronics 23 uses an electrical material in the form of a microcontroller called Arduino Nano which functions to control the motion of this prototype car.

Students who are members of this technical division also added that innovation by combining oxygen pressure resources with a microcontroller which can produce efficient energy, but it is optimal for long-distance use. “The reason is because the microcontroller will turn on and off alternately to produce optimal energy to drive the car,” he added.

Spektronics 23 car from ITS performs on a racing arena with a track line of 21 meters at the Synergicon Southern Asia Region Chem-E-Car race in India

Moreover, the prototype car organized by the team consisting of Bernardus Krisna Brata, Dheas Pinda Prayoga, Achmad Fadjar Maulana Firdaus, and Wiji Dharma Aditya during the competition was required to drive with a straight track line of 21 meters. It was at that moment when an assessment regarding the accuracy of the car’s driving chemicals was carried out to be able to stop the car as close to the finish line as possible.

The bespectacled young man explained that to cover 21 meters, participants were given two chances. In the first experiment, the car made by ITS students managed to cover a distance of 20.45 meters and in the second experiment, a distance of 20.8 meters was obtained. “The distance we achieved was the farthest distance compared to other participants with an error of only 20 centimeters in the second try,” he said.

A poster by ITS Spektronics Team which describes the feasibility of prototype car to operate in competitions and was ranked the third place in the Poster Competition

With satisfying results on both occasions and as the only delegation from Indonesia, ITS Spektronics Team also won the 1st place in the Race Competition followed by the 3rd place in the Poster Competition. This success brought ITS Spektronics Team to advance to the next level of competition on a global scale to compete with the champions from each region in the next November in Orlando, United States.

At the end, Bimo also said that this victory could not have been possible without all the help and prayers from the various parties involved. All the difficulties which has been faced for four months of preparation can also give positive results in the form of victory. “Hopefully, in the future Spektronics ITS can continue to make proud the alma mater and the Indonesian nation for the next international competitions,” Bimo concluded. (ITS Public Relation)

Reporter: Nabila Hisanah Yusri