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AKARTA: Students from the Sepuluh November Institute of Technology have invented an electric tire repair machine for motorbikes, named the Tab-Trik Portable.

Arifuddin, Rizal Daus and Sugianor designed the machine last year and exihibited it at the Students Creativity Week hosted by the National Education Ministry’s Directorate General of Higher Education last October. Arifuddin and friends were one of 5,000 selected to receive research funding.

The main component in their invention is a heater made from stainless steel with a diameter of 5 centimeters. The heater glues patches onto the rubber tire. The heat is generated by a lead acid battery or an electrical outlet.

However, Arifuddin said the machine would not be effective if the operator was not fully knowledgeable about tire repairs, adding that his team had prepared a manual to operate the machine.

“It takes around 30 minutes to complete a tire repair,” he was quoted as saying by news portal tempointeraktif.com.

The students spent Rp 250,000 to build the machine. They said they believed the production cost could be reduced to Rp 150,000. The students have not registered their invention at the intellectual property rights office in Tangerang, Banten, due to a lack of funds. — JP