Combining Technology with Empathy

Royyan has been interested in sensors and telecommunication since he was young, and he once made a device to detect the sound of chainsaws in the forest. This device can give an alarm when there is illegal activity that occurs.

Royyan says he wants to help traditional communities such as farmers and fishermen with technology. Because according to him, making something that can solve many people's problems makes him more enthusiastic when making these products. “What makes me happy is when I can have an immediate social impact,” he says.

Giving an example of a refrigerator in which there is already a simple computer that can turn on or turn off the lights automatically when the door is opened or closed, Royyan explains that if this refrigerator is connected to the internet and given IoT technology, it can improve this refrigerator and provide a lot of data.

Departing from there, Royyan wants to provide solutions to problems in agriculture in Indonesia. Why? "Because Indonesia is an agricultural and maritime country," he says. Royyan intends to help farmers because many companies are 'blinded' by Silicon Valley stories from developed countries. “We want to create an impact to help others. That’s why I'm interested in the IoT."

As someone who likes Silicon Valley stories, Royyan also gets a lot of inspiration from them, stories such as how the first computer was created, and how Intel processors were developed, including people like Bill Gates and Elon Musk. But that's not the only source of inspiration for Royyan. He also says that his parents were the biggest inspiration in his life. Having a mother who is a lecturer, and who is also active in community activities, such as explaining about NGOs providing clean water in villages, is the reason Royyan is doing what he is doing now.

"We have to be useful for others," says Royyan. And to be able to do that, Royyan says we have to be able to combine empathy and technology into one. But Royyan also warns that empathy is not just a heart that feels sad seeing the condition of other people. But we must be able to explore the problem deeper. The trick is to do the extra mile.

Watch the full story of Royyan Dzakiy in this episode of #StoriesWorthTelling - Bulls Eyes!