ITS Richie Team Secures Best Idea and ROHM Awards at ABU Robocon 2026

The Richie robotics squad from Sepuluh Nopember Institute of Technology (ITS) in Surabaya captured two accolades at the ABU Robocon 2026 competition held in Hong Kong. Team leader Muhammad Najmi Ihsan explained that the group entered two robots: one with a three-axis arm and another employing a forklift-type mechanism to lift a "Kung Fu Scroll," both constructed from 0.8 mm stainless steel. Compared with their July national-level entry, the robots received upgrades to a QR-code based communication system and an automated program for retrieving fallen boxes, innovations that earned them the Best Idea Award.

By incorporating ROHM Semiconductor components—making up 10 % of the total parts—the team also won the ROHM Award. Najmi highlighted the event’s knowledge-exchange sessions as a key benefit, allowing the team to learn robotics, programming, and mechanical techniques from peers worldwide. The team qualified for the international contest after winning the ABU Indonesia Robot Contest (KRAI) 2026, organized by Indonesia's Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology through the Indonesian Talent Development Center (BPTI).