TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Indonesian National Police showcased dozens of humanoid and quadruped robots during its 79th Bhayangkara Anniversary at the National Monument in Central Jakarta on July 1, 2025. These robots grabbed public attention not only for their movements but also due to reports that some units were priced at nearly Rp3 billion each.
According to PT Ezra Robotics, one of the companies involved with the showcased robots, they used quadruped robots manufactured by Unitree and Deep Robotics from China.
In a separate interview, Yohanes Kurnia Widjaja, President Director of PT Sari Teknologi, clarified that the Rp3 billion figure reflects the research and development (R&D) phase of creating these robots, not just the selling price of a finished unit. His company owns 22 of the 27 different types of robots exhibited by the police.
Yohanes emphasized the importance of understanding the extensive costs involved in developing such technology. "I understand Ezra's statement, but it needs to be understood that in research, the cost is immeasurable," he explained.
He compared the robot production process to the creation of smartphones. "Let me ask you, how much was the research cost for the birth of a smartphone, such as the Samsung Z Fold priced at Rp22 million? It's already in the hundreds of millions of dollars," he noted.
According to Yohanes, a product's price is not solely determined by its R&D cost but also by the cost efficiency achieved through mass production. He stressed that if the Rp3 billion figure represents the outcome of the R&D phase, then it is certainly plausible.
"If you ask me (PT Sari Teknologi) how much? Well, I could ask for more. I make chess robots, the cost will be higher. My time, thoughts, knowledge, experience, and my published papers, can you put a value on them? No, you can't," he asserted.
President Director of PT Sari Teknologi Yohanes Kurnia Widjaja at Robopark Jakarta, Pluit Village Mall, Jakarta, July 7, 2025. Tempo/Defara
Yohanes also pointed out that similar robots can be found on foreign e-commerce platforms such as Alibaba at much lower prices. However, he attributed these lower costs to large-scale production and industrial manufacturing methods such as molding, unlike the 3D printing or sheet metal techniques used by his team.
"Unitree is a large company. Are there any Indonesian companies that can produce dog robots? Not yet; it's not the time, it's not possible. Why? Because if you want to produce something like this, it requires large-scale production. So it's not easy," he said.
More than just a technological advancement, the lecturer at Gunadarma University suggested that the presence of these robots also reflects the police's desire to improve the institution's image. However, Yohanes stressed that the robots were not intended to fully replace humans.
He compared this to the banking industry's use of ATMs. He said ATMs are like police robots. "Let me ask you, are ATMs good? They are, right? But are there people who still work at the ATM? Yes, there are. There are some who go to the teller."
In the development of robots by PT Sari Teknologi, Yohanes explained that while not all components are sourced from Indonesia, the integration and development processes are carried out domestically.
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