(from left) Andre Novent Chenady, Michael Adrian Subagio, Muhammad Daffa Rizdhiya Sadek, Muhammad Rasyendria Rangga Bijana, and Taris Farizan Rochman from the ITS Spektronics Team

ITS Campus, ITS News – There is no stopping word for innovation for students of the Institut Teknologi Sepuluh Nopember (ITS). This time, the ITS Spektronics team initiated an innovation called I-BOT, which is a cyborg assistant in the form of an insect that helps rescue teams in search and rescue operations for human victims of disasters.

Michael Adrian Subagio, Head of the Spektronics team, revealed that the initial idea of ​​this innovation was due to a large number of insects in tropical countries such as Indonesia. “If you use a dog, it will take at least a month, if you use insects you can do it directly,” he explained.

According to Michael, the use of insects to detect human victims of this disaster is easier and more effective than using dogs. The small size of the insects makes it easier for insects to get into the small spaces, especially if there is a lot of rubble at the disaster site. “For now, we only offer cockroaches and beetles,” he said.

The principle of this innovation is to attach electronic devices to live insects. Live insects are considered more flexible because they move according to their abilities. “Therefore, why use real insects instead of using microrobots, because you don’t need additional power such as batteries or need a power supply,” he explained.

Although insects must be fitted with electronic devices, Michael said insects would not be harmed. The addition of the device is only a small backpack that is placed on top of an insect. “From this device too, we can get additional information at the scene of the incident,” said the ITS Chemical Engineering student.

Furthermore, said Michael, the Internet of Things (IoT) in the form of Bluetooth is used so that insect movement is more integrated. Using Bluetooth and additional amplifiers to amplify the signal, the insects are expected to be able to detect disaster victims in a narrow location.

An illustration of insects that can be used for I-BOT, the idea of ​​the ITS Spektronics Team

Michael said several ways can be used to detect human existence with this innovation. First, using the natural abilities of the insects themselves. “So we take advantage of the ability to smell and detect the temperature of insects to detect human presence,” he said.

The next way is to use the microphone and micro-sized camera installed on the device. “By utilizing this microdevice, we can live stream. Operators will also be able to direct, “he added.

Michael continued, the use of Bluetooth to detect the presence of insects and transmit data still has shortcomings. The accuracy of pre-existing research does not reach 100 percent. So, to get high accuracy, a lot of research is still needed.

Michael also hopes that with a lot of research, in the future this innovation can be applied in real life. “This innovation is just the initial idea, but you could say we were the first (to do it). There are still many developments that need to be done so that it can be applied in Indonesia, ” he concluded hopefully.

With this I-BOT innovation that was initiated, Michael and his team won a silver medal at the international scale competition, Indonesia International Applied Science Project Olympiad (I2ASPO), some time ago. (dya/ris/ITS Public Relations)

ITS Spektronics Team when presenting the I-BOT innovation in the I2ASPO competition