YOGYAKARTA- UGM robot team, Iron Fire, is ready to compete in the Trinity College Fire-Fighting Robot Contest in Hartford City, Connecticut, United States, from 9 to 10 April 2011. The UGM robot team consists of Farid Inawan, Noer Azis Ismail, Luiz Rizki Ramelan (All three are students of Department of Electrical Engineering 2009) and Wahyu Wijayanto (Department of Mechanical Engineering 2008). Besides Iron Fire from UGM, Indonesia also sent Zarqun from ITB as representative. The two teams will represent Indonesia in the event.
According Luiz Rizki Ramelan, all preparations have been conducted including climate difference in the USA. UGM team will carry two Iron Fire robots that will compete after the previous improvements.
"The design has been refined thus its maneuver is more stable. This is necessary for robot to deal with obstacles such as uneven floor, sound dampers and property," said Luiz at the Stana Parahita room at UGM, Friday (1/4).
Luiz explained for the competition in Hartford, the robot team must extinguish the candle in a maze. Location of the candle and start location is hashed with a scrambler system so that the robot team will not know where the robot will start and where the candle is located.
"The team is optimistic to be able to pass this hurdle," he explained.
There are various divisions contested in the upcoming match. They will also be divided according to the method to make the robot, namely kit and unique. Contests are also divided into levels of participants, such as junior and senior high school team. Iron Fire will be competing in the senior-wheeled unique robot division. Luiz admits the toughest opponent is China.
"Nevertheless, the team remains optimistic that with the performance achieved today, Iron Fire will win," said Luiz.
In the same place Iron Fire robot team supervisor, Ir.Priyatmadi, MT, confirmed that the UGM robot team was ready to compete in the contest. The exercise continues to be done and improved before their departure next Tuesday.
"I think everything is ready. We just have to pray so we can win," said Priyatmadi.
In the meantime, Indonesian Robot Team Leader, who also serves as Vice Dean for Student Affairs, Research and Cooperation of the UGM Faculty of Engineering, Prof. Ir. Jamasri, Ph.D. said that before leaving for the United States, Iron Fire has gone through a long journey to become the champion at the national level. The robot contest, said Jamasri, can also become the real implementation of scholarly aspect.
"Hopefully, this can be implemented and beneficial in terms of scholarly aspect. In the future it would also be more useful for students when they seek for jobs based on their knowledge," said Jamasri.
As is known, Iron Fire and Zarqun became the national winners at the National Robot Competition at the University of Malang in 2010. Iron Fire won the title in Indonesia Smart Robot Contest (KRCI) with wheels; while Zarqun won the KRCI legged category. With these results both is given the right to represent Indonesia at the Trinity College Fire-Fighting Robot Contest in the USA