IKN – For ASWAJA Robotika of Universitas Hasyim Asy’ari (Unhasy) Tebuireng Jombang, competing at the 2026 Indonesian Flying Robot Contest (KRTI) carries a simple belief: limitations should never determine how far a team can go. Representing a private university, nine Electrical Engineering students arrived with Kuda Sembrani, a Racing Plane developed through a long process of repeated trials, evaluations, improvements, and the team’s determination to make the most of the resources available to them.

The team consists of Alfredo Try Nugraha, Ahmad Rosyid Ashari, Ahmad Asyhari Ramadhoni, Malvino Kelvin Dwi Pranata, Mohamad Febriansah, Sugiono Ilham Ramadhan, Achmad Jauharul Munawir, Muhamad Fajar Saputra, and Rizqil Aditya Fascara. For them, coming from a private university is no reason to feel less confident when competing against teams from other universities at the national level. Their confidence comes from the skills they have continuously developed and their belief that hard work, capability, and solid preparation can put them on the same competitive stage.

Their facilities may not always be ideal, but that has encouraged ASWAJA Robotika to find ways to keep their preparation running effectively. They maximize not only the equipment available to them, but also their time, individual abilities, and teamwork. Time management has become particularly important, as every stage—from design and testing to improvement and competition preparation—must be completed within a limited period.

The journey to the national final has not always been smooth. One of their biggest challenges has been solving technical problems through continuous trial and error. Each mission has to be tested repeatedly, errors identified, systems evaluated, and the aircraft flown again. When a test does not go as expected, the team does not simply stop at failure. They return to the data, identify the cause, make adjustments, and try again.

At KRTI 2026, ASWAJA Robotika competes in the Racing Plane Division with Kuda Sembrani, carrying the concept F.A.T. — Fast and On Track. The concept reflects the character of an aircraft designed not only to fly fast, but also to remain precisely on its designated course. In this division, speed alone is not enough. Flight-path accuracy, aircraft stability, control systems, and overall performance must work together as one integrated system.

The name Kuda Sembrani itself reflects the spirit of the team. Inspired by the legendary winged horse of Indonesian mythology, known for its speed and agility, the name represents ASWAJA Robotika’s determination to keep moving forward even when the road to the national stage is far from easy. Every time the aircraft takes flight again, another lesson rises with it.

Limited facilities have been one of the challenges the team has recognized from the beginning. Instead of using that limitation as a reason to step back, however, they have chosen to optimize what they have. They manage their time, divide responsibilities, and solve problems step by step to ensure that preparations continue. Through this process, the students have learned that developing technology requires more than theories and equipment. It also demands perseverance when tests fail, creativity when resources are limited, and trust among team members when time is running short.

For ASWAJA Robotika, KRTI is also a place to learn that competition is about more than standing on the podium. Every flight brings a new experience, every mistake produces a new lesson, and every improvement brings the team closer to the performance they aim to achieve. That process has become an important part of their journey as engineering students.

ASWAJA Robotika wants to show that opportunities to innovate do not belong only to those with the most complete facilities. Sometimes, the courage to keep trying with whatever resources are available becomes a team’s greatest strength. From Jombang to the KRTI 2026 arena, Kuda Sembrani carries more than technology. It carries the conviction of nine Electrical Engineering students that their university background, limited facilities, and failures during testing should never become barriers to competing under the same sky.

Facilities may be limited. Dreams are not. ASWAJA Robotika proves that to fly higher, the first thing a team needs is the courage to keep trying.