Demonstration to rescue victims of accidents at sea and taken to shore by i-Boat

ITS Campus, ITS News – ITS once again brings its latest innovations to the nation. In commemoration of Lustrum XII ITS and welcoming the National Maritime Day, ITS introduced an autopilot smart ship named intelligent Boat (i-BOAT) in a soft launching held at PT Galangan Kapal Madura (Gapura), Bangkalan, Madura, Tuesday (29/9).

Autonomous ship that could be operated by a combination of technology based on artificial intelligence and internet of things was launched by ITS Rector Prof. Dr. Ir Mochamad Ashari MEng, witnessed by a virtual invitation, namely the Minister of Transportation (Menhub) Ir Budi Karya Sumadi, Head of the National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) Lieutenant General of the TNI Doni Monardo, Deputy Governor of East Java Dr H Emil Elestianto Dardak BBus MSc , and Chairman of IKA ITS Ir Sutopo Kristanto MM. This innovation product adds to its previous line of innovations such as RAISA robots and intelligent Car (i-Car).

Minister of Transportation Ir Budi Karya Sumadi giving a speech at the virtual i-Boat soft launching

In his speech via teleconference, the Minister of Transportation expressed his pride in the presence of its advanced ship innovations, especially this project in collaboration with alumni and industry in East Java. He said: “Later, the Ministry of Transportation (MoF) will create a pier to develop this research so that ITS does not have to do research elsewhere. The one who builds that also an ITS alumni, who are also Director General of Sea Transportation, Pak Agus (Ir Agus H Purnomo, red),” he said.

According to Budi, the release of i-BOAT is an innovation effort in the marine sector, especially shipping. “Hopefully later on November 10, i-BOAT can already operate massively, so that initially expected only two more years can be faster,” he said hopefully.

For information, Indonesia as a maritime country with an island number of about 17 thousand more and a water area of 3.25 million square kilometers, the role of sea transportation is vital as a unifying nation. Without effective sea transportation and fulfilling aspects of shipping safety, logistics distribution issues can be ascertained, and furthermore will be followed by the issue of equitable development, especially in the archipelago.

According to these needs, i-BOAT comes with the intention of fulfilling the functions needed in the current maritime aspects, especially for humans, such as rescue, logistics fulfillment on islands in need of assistance, and defense and security functions.

Deputy Governor of East Java Dr H Emil Elestianto Dardak also witnessed and gave a virtual speech at the soft launching of i-Boat

Also present gave a virtual speech, Deputy Governor of East Java Dr. H Emil Elestianto Dardak BBus MSc. He said, a form of regional commitment to always support research development has been launched, many innovation programs developed during covid, and ITS always participates in contributing its innovations.

“With these works, we will not give up to support and work together to give partiality to ITS and the work of other local contributor,” said Emil straightforwardly.

In fact, continued Emil, the Provincial Government of East Java through the relevant agency will provide land that has waters to use ITS in conducting its research in the maritime field.

BNPB Chairman Lieutenant General of TNI Doni Monardo during a virtual speech at the launch of its i-BOAT

The launch of i-BOAT was also welcomed by the Chairman of the National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) Lieutenant General of the TNI Doni Monardo. In his speech online, he appreciated the innovation of the nation’s children and wanted other young people to be challenged to innovate.

“Today’s work is expected to increase the motivation of other young researchers to improve their discovery in various fields,” he said encouragingly. Even in his speech, Doni once revealed that BNPB is interested in buying the smart ship with technology that will be tailored to the needs of BNPB later.

In the meantime, two units of ships first and will be used for BNPB center. “Furthermore, if it is suitable and in accordance with the needs, then BNPB will increase orders for regional BNPB that has a threat of disaster due to hydrometeorology,” added Doni.

Chairman of IKA ITS Ir Sutopo Kristanto MM gave his speech during the soft launching of i-BOAT

Not to be missed, there is also through zoom application, Chairman of IKA ITS Ir Sutopo Kristanto MM. In his speech, he said that IKA ITS will always support the downstream process of ITS innovation products through a network owned by alumni. “IKA ITS always strives to observe what are the results of innovations produced by our alma mater, and we always try to create a roadmap for how the results of these innovations can be downstreamed,” he said with full support.

This i-BOAT product was successfully realized through the cooperation of 10 research titles with funding and coordination from its Directorate of Research and Community Service (DRPM) and its Directorate of Innovation and Technology Science Area (DIKST). Furthermore, DRPM formed a research consortium involving nine engineering departments and two Tekno Park Science clusters (STP), namely STP–ICT Innovation Cluster & Robotics and STP–Maritime Cluster.

I-Boat release procession into the sea for trials during soft launching

For the way the i-Boat works itself, Maritim Cluster Manager – STP ITS Ir Tri Achmadi PhD explained that the ship is controlled by the operator. In terms of operational features, i-BOAT is designed to be ordered to go to certain coordinate locations that have been set before.

“If there is an internet connection in the operational area, users can use this i-BOAT through a user interface application, both web-based and operating through android gadgets (smart-phone),” he explained.

Based on the operator’s orders, he continued, i-BOAT will sail towards the desired coordinate target. I-Boat also has the advantage of being wave resistant and able to survive in all weathers. In the development of the next stage of research, i-BOAT will have features in the form of summoning and setting destination coordinates that can be done for a wider sea area.

I-Boat Research Team of ITS

“If there are drowning victims or need help, cameras and autonomous systems will be able to detect and approach the victims automatically,” said the lecturer who was also appointed as the coordinator of the i-BOAT research consortium.

Tri continued, all of the above functions can be done because i-BOAT is equipped with various sensors ranging from the utilization of a high-precision Global Positioning System (GPS), combined with a high-resolution camera for data collection as part of big data analysis, then processed by high-spec computers embedded in the ship.

I-Boat demonstration while evacuating victims in the middle of the sea without a crew

Dengan beragam sensor tersebut, kapal pintar i-BOAT akan mempunyai kemampuan akselerasi, navigasi dan mendeteksi kondisi lingkungan, termasuk kemampuan menghindari halangan dan melakukan pergerakan, secara otonom. “Bahkan saat mendekati korban yang akan diselamatkan, kapal ini akan memperlambat kecepatannya untuk menjaga keamanan korban,” papar dosen Departemen Teknik Transportasi Laut ini.

Apabila dilihat dari sisi teknologi platform kapal, lanjut Tri, i-BOAT adalah sebuah kapal Single  Hull berbahan aluminium Marine Grade yang mempunyai panjang LOA=4,7 meter, lebar B=2,08 meter, tinggi H=0,75 meter dan Sarat T=0,4 meter. Kapal ini didesain mampu untuk mengangkut beban enam orang atau setara 600 kilogram, mampu melaju dengan kecepatan normal 10 knots di radius area kerja 1 mil, dan mampu bekerja selama empat jam dengan support tangki BBM 75 liter.

Yang membedakan dengan kapal lainnya adalah aspek elektroniknya. Karena menggunakan sistem autonomous, kapal yang mempunyai berat kosong 415 kilogram dan digerakkan dengan outboard petrol engine dengan Propeller propulsion yang mempunyai daya 40 HP melalui BBM Petroleum Oktan 92 pada putaran mesin 4.500 – 5.500 RPM ini mempunyai kemampuan automatic start, automatic control dan remotely controlled, termasuk juga dapat diubah kembali ke manual control.

Rektor ITS Prof Dr Ir Mochamad Ashari MEng saat memberikan sambutan soft launching i-Boat di PT Galangan Kapal Madura, Bangkalan

Meanwhile, its Rector who is familiarly called Ashari added, i-Boat has a range of up to 10 kilometers from its operator. Furthermore, like a car, the ship designed for six months will continue to regenerate and develop its design and features.

Thanks to the cooperation of 41 experts including Professors, Doctors, Masters, and students from various fields of scientific competence at ITS, i-BOAT is ready to be operated commercially after obtaining a certificate from the Ministry of Transportation of the Republic of Indonesia. “Ships must take the feasibility certification test and ensure that nothing fails, that’s where the role of the Directorate of Sea Transportation, the Ministry of Transportation and the Indonesian Classification Bureau (BKI),” he explained to the media crew.

Satisfied with its new innovation, Ashari stated that it will always provide useful work for the community, especially for the Indonesian nation both from its industry, technology, economy, and others.

He hopes, hopefully with the presence of these innovation works will accelerate Indonesia to rise again in the new normal era after the Covid-19 pandemic. “It is also expected that with this launch ITS can and become a maritime axis full of technology,” Ashari concluded.

(zar/Anjani/ITS Public Relation Officer)

(dari kiri) Wakil Bupati Bangkalan Drs Mohni, Rektor ITS Prof Dr Ir Mochamad Ashari MEng, dan Direktur Utama PT Galangan Kapal Madura Ir Benny saat soft launching i-Boat ITS