STARTREX, Innovative Cart Made by IPB Students
In addition to the tourist attraction, Ijen Crater located in Banyuwangi Regency is the largest sulfur mining site in the world. Many traditional miners mine at this location, though they have to deal with a variety of difficulties ranging from walking up three kilometers, then going down to the crater to pick up the sulfur and the danger of falling due to steep terrain. They usually only use a simple cart with limited capacity to bring the sulfur. Five students from the Faculty of Agricultural Technology, Bogor Agricultural University (IPB), made an innovation named STARTREX.
"Sulfur that has been mined is still about 20 percent of the total sulfur. Miners cart can only carry the sulfur up to 70 kilograms, and the brake will break if it is forced to 100 kilograms. This endangers the miners. Therefore, we make an innovation called STARTREX or sulfur transporting machine. It is a cart having many advantages such better safety and greater capacity," said Sanhaji, Head of the Student Creativity Program for Engineering (PKMT) titled "STAR-TREX, the Sulfur Transporting Machine, as an Optimization of the safe and independent Sulfur Mining Transportation Based on Disc Brake System in Ijen Crater, Banyuwangi".
STARTREX is able to maximize sulfur transport up to 250 kilograms. This tool is also designed with attention to user convenience. STARTREX also has better safety by using more efficient disc brakes. In addition to larger capacities, STARTREX has three wheels.
"It uses three wheels so that the load is evenly distributed. Users do not need to bear the load, and they only have to control the right and left steering. This tool can also harvest electrical energy from the rotation of the wheels connected to the motor. Electrical energy is stored in the storage battery and can be used at the time of climbing," he said.
This PKMT team consists of Achmad Widodo, Zalfa Maulida Ihsani, Bung Daka Putera and Sri Nurjanah, under the guidance of Dr. Ir. Radite P.A. Setiawan. They hope that various parties will support them in order to make this innovative cart be useful for communities, especially for miners working in Ijen Crater. (IRM/ZSP/ris)
