IKN – Innovation does not always begin with immediate success. For the Hydra Rescue team from Teuku Umar University (UTU), failure during testing became an important part of their journey toward reaching the Finals of the 2026 Indonesian Flying Robot Contest, or Kontes Robot Terbang Indonesia (KRTI).

Behind the amphibious UAV they developed lies a long process of testing, evaluation, redesign, and the willingness to revisit concepts that had already been built.

Muhammad Alfadil and Gading Marlon Simanungkalit from Mechanical Engineering, together with Rio Aminkhan Tarigan from Civil Engineering, are among the students involved in that journey.

Hydra Rescue was born from concerns surrounding search and rescue operations in aquatic areas. The team saw that coastal communities, particularly fishermen, face significant risks of accidents at sea, while search and rescue responses cannot always be carried out quickly.

In several cases that drew their attention, reports of drowning incidents were only received when the chances of saving the victims had already diminished.

That reality encouraged the team to think about a technology capable of reaching emergency locations more quickly.

Hydra Rescue was then developed as an amphibious UAV designed to fly through the air while also operating on the water’s surface. The team hopes the system can serve as an early-response technology to support search and rescue operations before rescue personnel are able to reach the location.

Turning that idea into a vehicle capable of operating both in the air and on water, however, was far from simple.

One of the biggest challenges emerged when the team began testing the UAV’s floating system. Hydra Rescue had to do more than simply fly. Once it reached the water, the vehicle had to remain stable, stay afloat, and protect its electronic components from water exposure.

The transition from air to water became one of the most challenging phases of the development process.

During this stage, not every test produced the expected result. The team discovered several aspects that still needed improvement, while a number of technical decisions had to be reconsidered.

Instead of becoming a reason to stop, failure became a source of direction.

Every test gave the team new information about what still needed to be improved. The floating system, waterproofing capability, and overall stability of the UAV on the water continued to become key areas of evaluation.

The development process eventually took the team beyond the design table and testing site.

They sought to bring their innovation closer to those who understand real search and rescue conditions. The team held discussions with the National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas), the Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD), and local government officials to better understand the actual needs faced during rescue operations.

Those meetings became an important turning point in the development of Hydra Rescue.

The team realized that a technology that works from an engineering perspective does not necessarily meet all the practical needs of rescue personnel.

Feedback from practitioners led them to reevaluate several aspects of the vehicle. The team eventually changed both the materials and the shape of Hydra Rescue to make the UAV more suitable for real search and rescue operations.

It was not an easy decision. Redesigning the vehicle meant revisiting work they had already completed and acknowledging that their first design was not yet the best solution.

Yet that process became one of their most important learning experiences.

For the Hydra Rescue team, innovation is not about defending the first design until the end. It is about being willing to receive feedback, recognize weaknesses, and make improvements.

Their discussions with Basarnas, BPBD, and local government also gave them a broader perspective: rescue technology must do more than perform well during demonstrations or competitions. It must also respond to the conditions and needs of those who will eventually use it in the field.

Through a continuous process of testing, failure, evaluation, and improvement, Hydra Rescue continued to develop until the team successfully secured a place in the KRTI 2026 Finals.

Reaching the final stage, however, is not their ultimate goal.

The team hopes Hydra Rescue can continue to be developed and eventually become part of the real search and rescue ecosystem, including through future collaboration with institutions such as Basarnas and BPBD.

They do not envision the UAV as a replacement for rescue personnel. Instead, Hydra Rescue is expected to serve as a supporting technology capable of providing an early response, assisting searches in aquatic environments, and increasing the possibility of delivering aid more quickly.

That aspiration brings the team back to the reason Hydra Rescue was created in the first place.

It was not merely to build a UAV capable of flying and floating. Nor was it simply to become a finalist in a national competition.

The team wants a technology shaped through repeated trials and failures to one day help address a problem that truly exists in society.

For the Hydra Rescue team, the greatest achievement is not simply when a vehicle successfully passes a test.

The greatest achievement will come when the technology can help ensure that assistance arrives before it is too late.

Through KRTI 2026, the team hopes the competition will continue to serve as a space where Indonesian students are encouraged to experiment, learn from failure, improve their work, and bring innovation closer to the needs of society.

For Hydra Rescue, failure does not mark the end of a design. Instead, it becomes a reason to evaluate, redesign, and try once again.