The use of mascots in an event becomes an important factor to convey the theme and the meaning of the event. Similarly, Indonesia Robot Contest (KRI) 2018 uses the mascot as a mean of delivering a message to the contestants and all robot activists in Indonesia. In this event, the mascot is called “Lombok Abang” which combines the technological advancement and the local culture of “Keraton Ngayogyakarta Hadiningrat.”

On Tuesday (10/7) at the Sprotorium of Universitas Muhammadiyah Yogyakarta (UMY), a Chairman of the organizing committee of KRI 2018 Sri Atmaja P. Rosyidi, S.T., M.Sc.Eng., Ph.D., P.E. delivered that the KRI mascot is designed as one of the Ngayogyakarta Hadiningrat Keraton troops named “Wirabraja”. Lombok Abang essentially was employed at the KRI 2015 and is reused for the KRI 2018.

“The committee uses Lombok Abang again as the mascot for KRI 2018 inspired from the troop of Jogja Keraton named Wirabraja,” he explained.

Afterwards, Sri Atmaja added that Wirabraja can stimulate robot activists and the entire KRI participants through their characters as a knight who has unyielding spirit and sportive. Therefore, it is expected that all the participants can apply those characters in this robot contest.

“Wirabraja has many positive traits that should be conveyed to all the competitors,” he added.

Lombok Abang is a combination of technological advancement and local culture that is interpreted in the form of android robots of the Java troop. All of that is a manifestation that culture and technology can always be combined and go hand in hand.