0 Appreciate Project

Autonomous Underwater Vehicle IITK

What is our project about?

Our project focuses on designing and developing an Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) that can perform complex missions in challenging underwater environments—completely on its own, without human intervention.

The AUV is capable of:

Navigating through gates using acoustic and visual cues

Identifying, tracking, and interacting with underwater objects

Launching torpedoes with precision at designated targets

Collecting and depositing objects in specified zones

Returning safely to the start point after completing all tasks.

Why did we decide to make it?

The underwater world presents unique challenges: poor visibility, uncertain navigation, and limited communication. Building an AUV pushes us to tackle real-world problems in robotics, AI, and systems engineering—while competing on the global stage against the best teams in underwater robotics.

Team AUV-IITK’s journey began with Varun, our first AUV equipped with cameras, depth sensors, and pneumatic systems for marker dropping and torpedo launching. But as we grew, we needed a more modular and robust design—leading to Anahita, our next-generation AUV with advanced sensors, deep-learning vision, in-house PCBs, and sophisticated control systems.

This evolution has allowed us to consistently showcase technical excellence at prestigious competitions like NIOT-SAVe (India) and RoboSub (San Diego).

How does it work?

Our AUV integrates multiple subsystems that work together seamlessly:

Perception → Cameras & acoustic sensors help the AUV “see” and “hear” underwater.

Navigation → DVL, IMU, and depth sensors allow precise localization.

Control → Advanced cascaded PID controllers ensure smooth maneuvering.

Actuation → Custom pneumatic systems for torpedoes and object manipulation.

Computing → Onboard processors running computer vision and AI algorithms in real time.

The result: a fully autonomous robot that can think, act, and adapt under the sea.