IO, Jakarta – Surabaya November 10 Institute of Technology’s (ITS) Hydrone team will return to compete in the unmanned speed boat tournament known as “HydroContest 2018”, in Saint-Tropez, France, from 2-10 September 2018. The team, which consists of six students, was officially launched by ITS heads in the ITS Rectorate building last week.
This will be the second time for the ITS Hydrone team to participate in the Hydros Foundation organized competition, after competing in 2017. Previously, the Hydrone team placed tenth out of 23 teams participating from around the world.
“This was a result of our boat being too heavy and our lack of knowledge of the terrain there,” said Ir Wasis Dwi Aryawan MSc PhD, a supervisor on the Hydrone team.
Using knowledge obtained from last year’s event, according to Wasis, the ITS Hydrone team has evaluated and improved its boat’s performance in preparation for this year’s event. Based on notes from the 2017 HydroContest, the boat has improved significantly, especially in terms of weight and speed. As a result, this year it is expected to perform much better.
“We very much prioritized lowering the weight; compared to last year, our boat is now much lighter even though it uses the same material, the difference is in how much material we used,” explained the ITS Head of the Department of Marine Engineering.
In the competitions fifth year, supported by Monaco Solar and Energy Boat Challenge, there are three categories which will be competed in by 32 participants. Every participant must compete in all three categories, which are Lightweight Transport, Mass Transport and Long-Distance Race.
Head of the ITS Hydrone Team Khamdan Qomaruddin explained that in the Mass Transport category the boat must travel a 400-meter course carrying a 200 kg steel block, while in the Lightweight Transport category the boat must carry 20 kg for 600 meters.
In the Long-Distance Race, participants focus on speed and efficiency, the boat must travel 300 meters and carry a steel block weighing 20 kg. “Every boat is given one hour to circle the course as much as possible,” said the Marine Engineering student.
For the three categories the Hydros Foundation supplies each team with the same electric motor and gives them a few months to design and build a boat with the maximum dimensions of 2,5 x 2,5 x 2 meters. “The electronic systems given have the same specifications, so the design and durability of the ship are what determines the boats speed,” explained Khamdan.
In the Mass Transport category, the ITS Hydrone team entered a boat they named Gatotkaca. The boat has a cylindric fiberglass body and is capable of going 4.3 m/s. It also has a 2.2 x 0.6 x 0.24-meter dimension and weighs 22.5 kg.
In the Lightweight Transport and Long-Distance Race category, the ITS Hydrone team entered a boat they named Wisanggeni. In trial runs the boat was able to complete 19 laps in one hour.
“There are still things we can improve, for now we are still trying to determine the best strategy, such as in which lap will we start using the boats maximum speed,” he explained.
According to Khamdan both boats use batteries as energy sources. “In this competition, the batteries are supplied by the organizers,” he said. The boats will be operated by remote control. (ITS)