The Elins Research Club (ERC) from the Department of Computer Science and Electronics, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences at Universitas Gadjah Mada (FMIPA UGM), achieved significant success at the Singapore Amazing Flying Machine Competition (SAFMC) 2025.
Held at Singapore Expo Hall 2 from Mar. 18-21, 2025, this prestigious international competition saw two ERC UGM teams win awards: Team E-Wasp secured 4th place in Category D1 (Man-Machine), and Team Ambrasena took 3rd place in Category D2 (Multi-Machine).
This achievement marks a significant milestone for ERC, a research community within the department that is recognized for actively developing various technologies, including drones and Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs).
SAFMC is an annual event organized by DSO National Laboratories and Science Centre Singapore, aiming to encourage innovation in aerospace technology.
A total of 15 UGM students from various levels, including Undergraduate and Master’s Programs in Electronics and Instrumentation and Computer Science, participated in this competition.
They were divided into two teams and directly supervised by Dr. Aufaclav Zatu Kusuma Frisky, along with Dr. Andi Dharmawan and Bambang Nurcahyo Prastowo.
Team E-Wasp, competing in Category D1, secured 4th place. This category challenged participants to fly a drone semi-autonomously using a wearable device.
The team consisted of 5 undergraduate students from Electronics and Instrumentation: Ikhlasul Amal Abda’i, Virshan Akbar, Zalu Ardani Ramadhan, Emeli Rahma Keren Purwadi, and Alya Presilia Susanti.
Additionally, ERC also sent Team Ambrasena to compete in Category D2, where they won 3rd place.
This category focused on developing collaborative capabilities between two or more drones to autonomously perform pick-and-drop payload missions indoors.
This team comprised 10 students: Muhammad Daaffi Ul Haq, Nur Azizah Aulia Ramadhani, Bagus Ananta Wijaya, Khansa Karima Zada, Surya Karna Aradea, Syahirul Sakhoo Alim, and Kirana Puti Diandri from Electronics and Instrumentation, along with interdepartmental students within the department: Muhammad Natha Ulinnuha (Computer Science), Novelio Putra Indarto (Electronics and Instrumentation), and Muhammad Akbar Ghifari Tuasikal (Computer Science).
The journey of both teams to achieve success at SAFMC 2025 was not an instant one. For approximately 8 months, the teams underwent a long and challenging preparation process.
They faced numerous technical and non-technical issues with hard work and perseverance. Countless trial-and-error attempts were made to perfect the drone’s performance and team strategy.
“Despite many problems during preparation, we always remained optimistic about giving our maximum effort so that we could return with the best results,” said Ikhlas Abda’i on Friday (May 2).
The participation and achievements of the ERC UGM team would not have been possible without the support of various parties, including Sobat Arin, a mathematics Olympiad community that supports the development of academic competence without discrimination based on economic background.
“Sobat Arin is also active in promoting STEM education in Indonesia through inclusive social initiatives,” he added.
With this success at SAFMC 2025, UGM once again reinforces its position as a pioneer in technology development in Indonesia, while also producing young talents ready to compete on the global stage.
“More than just a championship, this achievement is a significant milestone in broadening the insights and increasing the capacity for technological innovation of the nation’s children,” he concluded.
Author: Rahma Khoirunnisa
Editor: Gusti Grehenson
Post-editor: Afifudin Baliya