UNAIR NEWS – Students of the Faculty of Advanced Technology and Multidiscipline (FTMM) Universitas Airlangga (UNAIR), competing as the Marvic UNAIR team, won Honorable Mention II in the Base Design category at the 2026 Indonesian Ship Contest (KKI) in the Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) division. The team developed a submarine prototype designed to retrieve objects from the seabed and identify them by scanning QR codes.
The team is led by Muhammad Rais Kamil, alongside Dharma Fattahul Winzi in electrical systems, Judhistira Arundaya in mechanics, and Nadia Janeeta Adha and Hafid Musolih in programming. The national-level competition took place at Bengkalis State Polytechnic in Riau from Monday to Thursday, September 14–17, 2026. Earlier, participants went through a proposal submission stage in June and a prototype progress video selection.
Developing a submarine innovation
Kamil explained that the innovation grew out of the team’s research focus on submarine technology. The prototype’s mission is to retrieve objects from the seabed, then identify them through QR codes attached to the objects.
“Our team focuses on submarine research. When KKI 2026 opened a competition in this field, we saw it as an opportunity to showcase the research results we have developed,” Kamil said.
In the competition, the ROV is a submarine controlled remotely. The selection process consisted of three stages: proposal submission, prototype progress video selection, and the national stage. After qualifying, the Marvic UNAIR Team competed at the national level at Bengkalis State Polytechnic and earned Honorable Mention II in the Base Design category.
The development process also brought technical challenges. One of them was a leak that damaged several components. Without an existing reference for building a submarine, the team conducted research independently and continuously evaluated the prototype.
“At the start of development, we had no reference, so we had to learn many things together. The leak once damaged components, but we kept evaluating and making improvements until the submarine was fit to compete,” Kamil said.
Lessons for future development
Kamil revealed that the Marvic UNAIR Team ranked second in points during the preliminary round. However, the team could not advance to the quarterfinals because it was placed in the same group as Shipbuilding Institute of Polytechnic Surabaya (PPNS). The experience taught the team to improve its readiness and attention to detail in future competitions.
Kamil hopes that FTMM UNAIR students interested in developing submarine technology will keep doing research and not give up easily when facing obstacles. He added that understanding the competition rules carefully is also an important part of preparation.
“Developing an innovation takes a long process. So don’t give up easily when you face obstacles. Do more research and understand every competition rule thoroughly so the innovation can be developed more optimally,” Kamil said.
Author: Abraham Chrisanta Putra
Editor: Yulia Rohmawati
