Diponegoro University – Semarang (27/6). The AquaCultiva team, consisting of three students from UNDIP’s Electrical Engineering Department—Guntur Awaludin Saptadi, Gevin Faza Qinthara, and Andromedha Anjar Wasari—successfully brought honor to Indonesia at the 2024 World Young Inventors Exhibition. The competition was held at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Center (KLCC) from May 16-18, 2024. With their project titled “Smart Irrigation and Control Nutrient System for Sustainable Agriculture,” the AquaCultiva team won two prestigious awards at the competition: the Best Young Inventor Champion Excellence Award and the Gold Medal Award.
Representing the team, Andromedha Anjar Wasari from the Electrical Engineering class of 2020 explained, “The AquaCultiva project is an automatic irrigation system that also integrates a nutrient control system using PID control to regulate the speed of the water pump motor. This system utilizes the venturi mechanism for nutrient absorption, where the water flow rate affects the venturi absorption rate based on physical principles and required parameters.”
AquaCultiva’s innovation is not limited to irrigation and nutrient regulation. This system can also be controlled remotely via a mobile application developed explicitly for user convenience. Even more interestingly, AquaCultiva employs Machine Learning to understand plant conditions and adjust watering times adaptively based on weather and plant needs. This approach ensures that plants receive the right amount of water and nutrients, supporting optimal and sustainable growth.
The competition, organized by the Malaysian Invention and Design Society (MINDS), attracted the attention of 700 teams from 15 countries, including China, Saudi Arabia, Malaysia, Oman, Thailand, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Taiwan, Korea, Australia, Qatar, Vietnam, UAE, United States, and Canada. Despite the tight competition, the AquaCultiva team showcased their innovation’s excellence and brought home these prestigious awards.
“AquaCultiva’s achievement at the 2024 World Young Inventors Exhibition is not just a victory in competition but a significant step forward in providing sustainable solutions for agriculture in Indonesia. We hope this innovation sets an example for many and encourages more sustainability-focused and technological advancements in the future,” said Andromedha. (AquaCultiva Team, ed. Ut-Public Relations)
