UMS Team’s ZIMO App Wins Gold at International Competition

Another proud achievement has been secured by Universitas Muhammadiyah Surakarta (UMS) on the international stage. A team of UMS students won a Gold Medal at the International Science and Invention Fair (ISIF) 2025, held in Bali on 12–15 November 2025.

In the competition, the UMS team presented an innovation named ZIMO: A Next-Generation Gamified Digital Health Innovation to Overcome the Triple Burden of Malnutrition in Adolescents. ZIMO is a gamified mobile application designed to help adolescents understand their nutritional needs, monitor their eating patterns, and adopt healthier behaviors through engaging, game-based methods.

ZIMO is the result of collaboration among six interdisciplinary UMS students: Hanifah Herawati from Nutrition Science as the team leader; Asterika Indah Nuraini and Maulia Hidayah from Nutrition Science; Irfan Malik Tamroini from Islamic Education (PAI); and Shandy Yusril Fadlullah and Yuanda Eka Saputra from Informatics Engineering Education.

Hanifah explained that the idea for developing ZIMO had been formulated early in the year through the Student Creativity Program (PKM). However, the development process took time because the team had to focus on completing their PKM while also searching for the right developer, until they finally found a suitable development partner in September.

“The idea actually started in March. But since we were still working on PKM, we developed the concept gradually until we met a new developer. After that, the design and feature development process ran much more smoothly,” she explained during an interview on (2/12/2025).

The team conducted further research and discovered that adolescent nutrition issues in Indonesia are not limited to undernutrition, but now fall into the triple burden category: undernutrition, overnutrition, and micronutrient deficiencies. This finding became the basis for strengthening the app’s nutrition education features and physical activity recommendations.

“This blend of diverse expertise is what gives ZIMO a solid foundation, scientific, educational, and easy for adolescents to use,” Hanifah added.

The judges assessed ZIMO as an innovation that not only integrates technology and health, but also reflects the UMS team's sensitivity to current adolescent health issues. Even ZIMO’s branding, which features a dedicated mascot, received enthusiastic appreciation. “One of the judges even asked for the ZIMO mascot for their child,” recalled one of the team members with a smile.

ZIMO is equipped with Artificial Intelligence (AI) integration that can scan food through a smartphone camera, after which the system automatically calculates estimated nutritional needs such as protein and carbohydrates. Users can also adjust the data to obtain more accurate results.

One of the team members, Asterika, shared that this experience was more than just a competition. “We come from different disciplines, but that is precisely what strengthened us. We learned to bring together different perspectives to create something beneficial for society,” she said.

The ZIMO team posing with the certificates and gold medal they won at ISIF 2025. UMS PR/Imam Safi'i

Each program also contributed with clear roles: nutrition students developed the educational content and nutrition analysis, PAI students designed the adolescent-friendly interface, while informatics students worked on the system and technical development of the application.

Even so, the biggest challenge was aligning perspectives among team members. “Getting everyone on the same page was what took time. But that process made us even more solid,” she added.

Moving forward, the team plans to integrate ZIMO with smartwatches to monitor physical activity in real time from workout reminder notifications to fitness tracking that syncs automatically with the app.

Responding to this achievement, the team’s advisor, Irma Yuliana, S.T., M.M., M.Eng., expressed hope that ZIMO will continue to develop and eventually create a broader real-world impact. “Our hope is that ZIMO doesn’t stop as a competition project, but can grow into a digital health innovation startup that benefits the community,” she emphasized.

This achievement, she continued, demonstrates UMS’s commitment to producing sustainable innovations focused on addressing social issues, especially in the field of adolescent health. “Through cross-disciplinary collaboration, ZIMO proves that the courage to innovate can deliver smart solutions for the nation’s future,” she concluded.

Writer: Roselia

Editor: Maysali Sudarwati

Translator: Farizal Luqman Majid