The Dugderan tradition becomes an annual folk party for the people of Semarang when it comes to welcoming the arrival of Ramadan. Hence, Universitas Dian Nuswantoro (Udinus) took the chance to provide education about Javanese culture at the event to the community through their innovation called Sekar Nuswantoro Gamelan Robot.
The appearance of the Sekar Nuswantoro Gamelan Robot along with the accompaniment of Sinden singing the Javanese music, was able to amaze this year's dugderan visitors. They sang various songs such as Gumur Gunung, Suwe Ora Jamu, Kagok Semarang, and Perahu Layar which were performed directly by the students of Udinus. The appearance was able to elevate the atmosphere of Dugderan to be more lively while welcoming the arrival of the month of Ramadan 1445 H.
The Member of Team Engineer of Gamelan Robot Team Sekar Nuswantoro, Dr. Arry Maulana Syarif, S.S, M.Kom., explained that the gamelan robot was displayed at the dugderan as a form of local culture education. Visitors who attended the event can directly see the gamelan instrument played using AI. It contains educational content that is showcased in this year's Dugderan event.
"The interest of visitors is very high starting from children to adults. Those who come to see also often ask questions about gamelan culture, adding insights to them," he explained.
Gamelan robot technology innovation from the Faculty of Computer Science Udinus was performed in the Square area of the Great Mosque of Semarang (MAS). This innovation is a new breakthrough that utilizes Artificial Intelligence (AI) to suppress various aspects needed to display gamelan instruments. One of them is a more compact form, so it can be played without taking up a lot of space.
“Being shown in Dugderan is one of our steps to go downstream. Our hope is that gamelan robots can appear in more public places such as airports or stations. Because it can be played anytime in a more concise place," said Arry Maulana.
As the name implies, this one gamelan has a futuristic and artistic robot construction. In the design concept, it is shaped like a sunflower that has stems and stalks.
Appreciation
Utilizing Arduino and Solenoid technology, Sekar Nuswantoro Gamelan Robot is able to add various instruments and music played on software devices. the innovation which involved five lecturers and 21 students from the Faculty of Computer Science, there were six instruments installed on the Sekar Nuswantoro Gamelan Robot. It consists of demung, saron, slenthem, peking, kenong, and gong.
Meanwhile, the Chairman of the MAS Management Foundation, Khammad Ma'sum stated that the current Dugderan was intentionally not filled with legendary or old-school games. However, this event started to move towards modern technology such as gamelan robots that can entertain as well as educate visitors.
"This opportunity is our form of appreciation for the innovation owned by Udinus that put a lot of effort toward the local culture. We are also open to all universities who want to showcase their innovations at the MAS Square area," he encouraged.
As one of the visitors, Nita said that she was very interested in watching the gamelan robot. Nita who visited the event along with her family said that it was the first time they got the chance to see a gamelan robot directly.
"My kids were immediately attracted when passing through and seeing a gamelan robot. "I also learned new things from students who explained about the robot," she said.
Additional information, Sekar Nuswantoro Gamelan Robot appeared at the Dugderan event for three consecutive days. Starting on Thursday, March 7, 2024. Visitors can freely watch Udinus 'innovations starting from 4 P.M - 8 P.M West Indonesia Time (Udinus Public Relation/Haris. Photo: PR Udinus)
