A team of three students from Institut Teknologi Bandung (ITB) has achieved a remarkable victory at the National Youth-Tech Challenge (YTC) 2024, organized by Indosat Ooredoo Hutchison in collaboration with Twimbit. The team, known as RRR Innovators, comprises Albertus Ganendra Rakayudha and Amaris Rea Ananda from Industrial Engineering (class of 2021), and Rinaldy Adin from Informatics Engineering (class of 2021). They secured first place among 250 participating teams after an intensive three-day final held at the Indosat Ooredoo Hutchison headquarters in Central Jakarta on Thursday, November 21, 2024.

The Youth-Tech Challenge is a social innovation competition aimed at fostering technology-based solutions to address national issues across various sectors, including metropolitan development, agriculture, education, and women's empowerment through SMEs. Participants are provided with in-depth case studies and are tasked with presenting disruptive technological solutions that integrate Indosat's B2B capabilities in their implementation.

Motivated by the competition's relevance to national issues, the extensive exposure it offers, and the substantial prize of IDR 55 million, the RRR Innovators chose to focus on the agricultural sector. They developed "SuksesPanen," a solution designed to enhance the quality and quantity of crop production in Indonesia.

"We proposed this solution because we believe Indonesia is still far from achieving Food Security 2030, due to suboptimal crop production," explained team member Raka. "The main issues are: 1) manual irrigation leading to potential water wastage, 2) lack of understanding of plant nutritional needs, and 3) difficulties in early pest detection."

SuksesPanen offers two primary components: a field device and an application. The field device includes an All-in-One Sensor that detects weather conditions, soil status, and pests, and an Automated Irrigation system integrated with the application. When farmers receive a notification to irrigate, they can simply use the app to initiate automatic irrigation.

The preparation phase was challenging, coinciding with their final year academic responsibilities. However, the team managed to balance their commitments and complete their preparations effectively.

The team's success can be attributed to their practical and feasible idea, coupled with a presentation that was concise yet engaging, effectively capturing the judges' attention.

"As engineering students, we have the capability to create various innovations and solutions to tackle challenges," said team member Rea. "Don't hesitate to explore creative ideas, think outside the box, and view challenges as opportunities for growth. Believe in your abilities, as every small step brings us closer to significant solutions and success."

The triumph of the RRR Innovators at the Youth-Tech Challenge 2024 not only brings pride to ITB but also underscores the potential of young Indonesian innovators in contributing to the nation's technological advancement, particularly in the critical sector of agriculture.