A student team from the Undergraduate Program in Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, USU won 2nd Place in the Mechanical Analysis category at the 15th Annual National Machine Design Competition (LNT-RBM) 2026. The final round, consisting of presentations and exhibitions, took place on October 15, 2026, at the Postgraduate Center Building, Universitas Riau, Pekanbaru.

The competition, organized by the Indonesian Mechanical Engineering Cooperation Body (BKSTM Indonesia,), serves as a platform for students to present machine design and engineering results at the national level. The FT USU team was supervised by Dr. Ing. Ir. Ikhwansyah Isranuri, with Melwin Erdiansyah Telaumbanua serving as team leader, accompanied by team members Rafid Nauval Mulyawan, Muhammad Azam Fauzan, Syama Sundhara, and Mhd. Rasyid Ridho.

The team presented a work titled “Design and Engineering of Vibration-Based End-Effector on Robot Manipulator as Fruit Harvesting Auxiliary Tool, Soft Vibration Stimulus and Acoustic Mechanoreceptor Cells in Coffee Plants.” The design integrates a mechanical approach, robot manipulator, and vibration technology to support the harvesting process as well as the study of mechanical stimuli on coffee plants.

Achieving 2nd Place demonstrates the team's ability to formulate and present engineering ideas in a national competition forum. This experience also reinforces project-based learning, teamwork, and technical communication among students.

This activity is primarily related to SDG 9—Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure through the development of technology design and mechanical engineering. SDG 4—Quality Education serves as an additional contribution through competition-based learning, lecturer guidance, and student competency enhancement.