UNESA Students Win Gold at PIMNAS, Designing Tsunami Protective Equipment Equipped with Sensors, Automatic Messages, and GPS
Unesa.ac.id, SURABAYA—The Student Creativity Program Team for Constructive Video Ideas (PKM-VGK) has once again brought honor to the State University of Surabaya (UNESA) on the national stage. They succeeded in bringing home a gold medal in the poster category at the 36th National Student Scientific Week (PIMNAS), organized by the National Achievement Center (Puspresnas) of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology (Kemendikbudristek) during the awarding ceremony at Padjadjaran University (UNPAD), Bandung, on Thursday, November 30, 2023.
The team consisted of Hasan Abdul Bar (Bachelor's in Electrical Engineering Education) as the team leader, Aulia Rizky Ardiati (Bachelor's in Indonesian Language and Literature Education), Ulia Asmaul Husna (Bachelor's in Biology Education), and Irsyad Akmal Robbanii (Bachelor's in Indonesian Literature). In this PIMNAS, they introduced an innovation called the "Personal Protective Balloon" during tsunamis, named Sabanatherapy.
The team leader, Hasan Abdul Bar, explained that Sabanatherapy is designed in the shape of a suitcase equipped with sensors responsive to tsunami warning sirens. When activated, Sabanatherapy transforms into a giant balloon capable of accommodating two adults, using a fingerprint system.
Additionally, it features automatic messaging and GPS to be easily tracked by rescue teams. It's also equipped with first aid kits, oxygen tanks, food rations, and post-traumatic stress therapy features to monitor the psychological condition of victims.
The supervising lecturer, Muamar Zainul Arif, M.Pd., added that this student innovation stems from concerns over the high number of casualties resulting from tsunami disasters. Meanwhile, tsunami mitigation efforts have mostly revolved around equipment, vehicles, housing, and communication tools.
For instance, the number of tsunami victims since 2018 amounts to more than 200,000 lives, with more than half experiencing post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
Sabanatherapy aims to minimize the number of casualties while simultaneously monitoring the psychological state of victims after a tsunami disaster. “Because the implementation of this idea requires a long time, we decided to include it in the PKM-VGK,” he said.
During the preparation period, the UNESA team was coached by the reasoning team, which guided them from the initial narrative writing process to all elements fulfilling the assessment characteristics in PKM-VGK. A representative of the reasoning team, Firman Yasa Utama, S.Pd., M.T., mentioned that there were about 25 revisions throughout their journey.
"Actually, we could have submitted and even won with ten PKM teams if there was special attention, such as having a PKM Center, for instance, which would focus on mentoring PKM students. Even so, we were still able to get one or two," he remarked.
The Director of Student Affairs and Alumni of UNESA, Dr. Muhamad Sholeh, S.Pd., M.Pd., appreciated the achievements of his students. He stated that with this accomplishment, it's hoped to ignite the spirit of students in innovating and creating through PKM both nationally and internationally.
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Reporter: Fatimah Najmus Shofa
Editor: @zam Alasiah
Photo: Documentation of the UNESA PIMNAS Team
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