This Is Just Cool, UI Students Design A Drone With Microsoft Technology

Nine UI students who designed the Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAC) (Photo via ANTARA/Personal Documentation)

JAKARTA - Nine students from the University of Indonesia (UI) designed an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAC) using Microsoft technology.

The nine students are Luthfi Aldianta, Adam Ilham Maulana, Anindya Samiya Artanti, Daniel Martua Matthew Simatupang, Muhammad Luqman Sugiyono, Muhammad Rizky Millennianno, Pramudita Bintang Al Hakam, Raditya Aryaputra, and Shang Welly Chin.

In a written statement received in Jakarta, Friday, January 21, this student from the Faculty of Engineering (FT) and the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences (FMIPA) of UI spent several months in 2021 designing the UAV.

The unmanned aircraft designed by the University of Indonesia's Autonomous Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (AUAV UI) can map areas and unloading loads and can be used to collect data for various industries.

"We come from different backgrounds. Some of us study mechanical, industrial, and electrical engineering, while others study mathematics and physics. But we have the same interests in the robotics industry, especially aviation," said team captain, Luthfi Aldianta. from Between.

"With the robotics community formed by UI alumni a few years ago, we feel this is the right place for us to develop our skills in the areas we are interested in. In addition, the UAV industry still has room for development and great potential. This field provides great opportunities It is broad for us to present new technological breakthroughs that can help the Indonesian people at large,” he explained.

When the UAV Teknofest International competition was held, they took part in the competition. Teknofest is one of the largest UAV competitions in the world, as well as the first and only aviation, aerospace and technology festival in Turkey.

At its event in 2021, Teknofest will open more than 30 categories, including smart transportation, artificial intelligence in the health sector, and UAVs. Competition in the UAV category is further divided into two divisions: fixed wing and rotary wing.

Fixed-wing UAVs refer to unmanned aircraft with wings that do not move, as in ordinary aircraft. While the rotary wing UAV uses rotating blades that are usually used for helicopters.

"We entered the fixed wing division and the competition was divided into three stages. The first was the evaluation of the conceptual design and the second was when we had to submit detailed design reports and flight videos. The first two stages were carried out in the home country, and we recorded excellent results. Thanks to that, we have stepped into the final stage: competition week on September 13-18 2021 in Bursa, Turkey," said Luthfi.

The AUAV UI team was one of 50 teams that made it to the final round and went to Turkey.

In developing a UAV, there are several areas to consider – from design, to manufacturing, to electrical, to programming. To integrate all of this into one plane, the team carried out many experiments. It has been a long journey, but they are happy every time they find a problem and solve it. And technology is what helps them to solve the challenges.

In preparing the aircraft manufacturing process, the team used Microsoft Excel.

“Excel's universal nature really helps us to easily calculate and compare various design parameters, such as material choice and manufacturing technique. Therefore, we were able to narrow down our choices and choose the most suitable materials and techniques to make a light vehicle without compromising speed,” said the person in charge of mechanics, Muhammad Luqman Sugiyono.