Robot contest seen as fun, no serious function for now
Robot contest seen as fun, no serious function for now
Evi Mariani, Jakarta
The annual Indonesian Robot Contest is into its sixth year this
year, but both organizers and participants realize that it is
still more a display of creativity than a stepping stone for the
robot technology industry.
"Is it possible for some a manufacturing company to organize a
robot contest and later give the winner a chance to produce the
robots for the company?" asked a participant in a seminar on
robot technology development on Thursday.
The seminar was held at the University of Indonesia (UI)
campus in Depok ahead of the Indonesian Robot Contest 2004,
sponsored by the Ministry of National Education and UI, which
will take place on Saturday and Sunday on the campus.
Another participant added that the robots they created for the
contest would only sit in museums and had no further use after
the contest was over.
One of the speakers at the seminar, Hesti Purwanto, from
state-owned shipping producer PT PAL, replied that it was
possible to link robot-making with the appropriate industries.
"We'll take this as an input".
"However, even in the technology-intensive company I work for,
I am the only person who specializes in robot development," he
added.
Indeed, the demand for robot-operated machinery in Indonesia
is still low.
"Only strategic industries like PT PAL and airplane maker PT
Dirgantara Indonesia use robots," said Finarya Legoh, the
assistant to the deputy for the utilization of technology
campaign at the Office of the State Minister for Research and
Technology.
Finarya, who is also one of the speakers, added that most
manufacturers in the country still used labor-intensive methods.
However, as a member of the organizing committee of the
contest, she said her office realized the need to make the
contest more than just a robot-making talent contest.
"We're appraising the possibility of connecting the contest
participants with the wider public, particularly industry
players, so the invention could have some use," she said.
"Perhaps, we will display the robots in the Science and
Technology Exhibition Center at Taman Mini for the public to
see."
Another speaker, however, saw the contest as just that, which
he said was not a bad thing.
"It is a talent contest and it's not bad at all. Just don't
expect too much from it," said Taufiq Rohim, the director of the
Metal Industries Development Center of the Ministry of Trade and
Industry.
"Robot technology in developed countries accelerated due to
the need to create a more efficient working system, a system
which minimized non-productive procedures by applying more
precise and accurate machinery.
Taufiq argued that the condition of Indonesia's industries did
not yet support the development of robot technology.
Even Japan, he said, the leading country in robot machinery
technology, needed 20 years to develop robot intensive
industries. "So we have 10 to 15 years more of development and we
need the money and serious effort."
Taufiq said serious efforts included fostering an education
program that would support the robot industry because the
resources Indonesia had now were not adequate.
"We have to see the big picture of the robot industry. It's
not enough to just have talented people who can create robots.
The country needs a shifting of perspective about industry
management to have a robot industry," he said.