In addition to entertainment, the 2024 Dugderan also featured an educative innovation. The innovation was showcased by Universitas Dian Nuswantoro (Udinus), with its insightful Udinus Campus’ Electric Pedicab (Becik-KU).
The electric pedicab has a battery capacity of 72 volts. The battery is also rechargeable through a solar panel on top of the pedicab. Additionally, the pedicab is also equipped with three wheels, with one of them placed at the back of the pedicab and two of them being in front of it.
Arga Dwi Pambudi, M.T., (a faculty member and one of the developer team) added that the battery could last fairly long, with a maximum distance of 70 km. Furthermore, the pedicab also takes five hours to be completely charged, and it can board up to four passengers at once. The pedicab runs with autonomous system without the need for a driver.
“At Dugderan, we are afraid to say that we could not showcase the autonomousone, as the place was too crowded. There were many people wandering here and there, and we did not want any unfortunate occurence to take place,” Arga uttered.
Arga added that the electric pedicab was designed in a way it could not surpass the 20 km/h speed limit. However, during the Dugderan, the speed limit was 10 km/h, as the venue was too crowded. Furthermore, Arga revealed that the Becik-KU Electric Pedicab was developed by six students and four faculty members within a span of six months. Arga explained that every aspect of this electric pedicab was created by Udinus, including the design and the autonomous control.
“We made almost every part of this pedicab, including the body , the autonomouscontrol, and many others,” he uttered.
A NOVEL FORM OF ENTERTAINMENT: A family at Dugderan Semarang boarding the electric pedicab.
A Breath of Fresh Air
Dugderan is routinely held in Semarang annually. Dugderan, at its core, is a ceremonial event hosted some days before Ramadan. This ceremony reflects the combination of the three most dominant ethnic groups in Semarang, namely, Javanese, Chinese, and Arab. In 2024, Dugderan was held on February 28th, 2024.
Choirul Ihsan, the Chairman of the Culinary Work Group at the Grand Mosque of Semarang, gave his support for this electric pedicab to serve as a public ride for both children and adults alike. Dugderan is a routine tradition celebrated by the people of Semarang to induce joy within themselves, which marks the beginning of the Holy Month of Ramadan.
“The presence of this electric pedicab indicates that the innovations created by Udinus can be utilized by the public as a form of entertainment,” he concluded. (Humas Udinus/Alex. Foto: Humas Udinus)
