Rice Screentel, Innovative Engine for Farmer's Wallet

Student of Study Program (Prodi) of Industrial Engineering Faculty of Engineering University of Muhammadiyah Malang (UMM) made an alternative tool of rice sieving, Rice Screentel.

Rice Screentel or rice sieving is a tool to separate the grain from the handle. Presented among conventional technologies where farmers are still manually knocking rice by hand and utilizing the use of fuel-fueled engines, Screentel comes differently.

Specially designed, this tool does not require fuel for its operation. In addition to energy-efficient, the risk of muscle injury experienced by farmers because of the traditional way can also be minimized.

"Rice Screentel as an ergonomic rice sieving tool is to reduce muscle injury for some farmers who regularly sow rice everyday," said Cyntia Dea Saputri, a member of the Screentel maker group.

Having various advantages above, the use of this tool is also quite easy. Farmers only need to pedal in the tool and Screentel automatically works with a back and forth gear that can be set as needed.

Therefore, this tool can relieve farmers, especially those who are still traditional and using a sickle. Despite the simple impression, the result of separation of grains of rice produced the same quality with a fuel-fueled engine.

Having a variety of advantages, Rice Screentel has been joint a competition at the University of Sebelas Maret Surabaya on Descomfirst 2018 with the theme Design Manual Tools on (5-6 / 5) 2018. This made Cyntia and her team proud, especially considering the tool was originally designed with a simple way.

"I’m happy because just starting from a scribe then succeeded in making a tool. We also try to fix what is still lacking in this tool," she said.

Keep trying to perfect the Screentel, Cyntia and the team have planned the "future" of this tool. They are also willing to market the tool with friendly price for farmers.

"We will commercialize to sell with a price about 1.5 to 2 million rupiah," she concluded. (ard)