Prof Ir Agus Muhammad Hatta ST MSi PhD presenting his scientific oration titled The Role of Optical Instrumentation to Support Sustainable Industry

ITS Campus, ITS News — The lack of innovation to support the implementation of sustainable industry in Indonesia is a problem in itself in the era of rapid technological development today. Departing from this, the 207th Professor of the Institut Teknologi Sepuluh Nopember (ITS) Prof. Ir. Agus Muhammad Hatta ST MSi PhD innovated fiber optic instrumentation to support sustainable industry.

The lecturer who is familiarly called Hatta explained that sustainable industry is a concept that focuses on the importance of meeting the needs of the current generation without sacrificing the ability of future generations to meet their needs. This concept emphasizes economic, social, and environmental aspects that aim to increase production efficiency and people’s welfare by minimizing the negative impact of industry on the environment.

Due to this urgency, the lecturer from the ITS Engineering Physics Department initiated innovations in the form of fiber optic sensors, imaging systems, and artificial lighting. Each of these instruments aims to support sustainable infrastructure, food security, and increased productivity in the agricultural sector. “The implementation of this innovation is also in line with the industrial era 4.0 which emphasizes automation and interconnection,” explained Hatta.

Prof Ir Agus Muhammad Hatta ST MSi PhD explaining one of his innovations through his oration book on artificial lighting

Furthermore, the man from Jombang innovated optical fiber into a sensor that can be planted or attached to a building structure. The small sensor can later record in real time temperature, pressure, strain, vibration, and displacement through changes in light propagation around it. This data will then be sent to the monitoring system and can be used by stakeholders to determine the remaining structural resistance.

Additionally, because of its high accuracy, the fiber optic sensor can also help early detection if there are any damage to the building structure. Therefore, the risk of accidents or high costs due to renovations can also be minimized. “This sensor can also be used on any infrastructure, such as bridges, tunnels, even oil and gas pipes,” explained the Vice Rector IV of ITS.

Prof Ir Agus Muhammad Hatta ST MSi PhD (second from the right) with family after being inaugurated as the 207th ITS Professor

On the other hand, his innovation in the form of an imaging system aims to help improve food safety. This is because there are still many food ingredient mixtures that cannot be detected with the naked eye, especially in raw meat mixtures. Therefore, Hatta developed an algorithm in machine learning to be able to detect meat composition based on infrared light, visible light, and ultraviolet (UV) light.

Simply put, the meat sample being tested will be exposed to the three types of light mentioned earlier. The light will then be captured by the frequency of its propagation by the detector and the percentage of the composition of the type of meat in the sample will appear on the monitor screen. In addition, freshness in a sample can also be detected through this tool. “As a result, consumers can find out the guarantee of quality and halal quality of their products,” explained Hatta.

In the end, the Vice Chairperson of the Indonesian Optics Association also explained his innovation regarding artificial lighting devices. The tool is a lamp designed with a special light spectrum to accelerate the growth of plants, fish, lobsters, and poultry. This is because the lamp named Lampu Nusantara (Lamusa) consists of several light spectrums, such as white, green, and blue which can affect the productivity of the cultivation.

Prof Ir Agus Muhammad Hatta ST MSi PhD while showing one of his creations which is Lampu Nusanta (Lamusa) to support agricultural cultivation productivity

Through his various innovations, Hatta also showed that optical instrumentation also plays an important role in supporting sustainable industry. This is because optical instrumentation is able to support industrial competitiveness, human resource development (HRD), and support technological independence in Indonesia. In addition, this innovation also supports the implementation of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) point 8, namely Decent Work and Economic Growth.

Through his scientific oration entitled The Role of Optical Instrumentation to Support Sustainable Industry, Hatta also hopes that his innovation will be a trigger to support human resources in Indonesia on developing other light-based innovations. “Thus, the light-based industry can also be a milestone to support current and future technological needs,” he concluded hopefully. (ITS PUBLIC RELATIONS)

Reporter: Nabila Hisanah Yusri