Team Automatons

Team Automatons

Founded over a decade ago at Pimpri Chinchwad College of Engineering (PCCOE), Pune, Team Automatons is a student-driven robotics Research & Development organization dedicated to building cutting-edge robots for national and international competitions. What began as a small group of passionate innovators has now grown into a 60+ member multidisciplinary team spanning mechanical, electronics, computer, and AI domains—all working together to push the boundaries of robotics and automation.

Team Automatons has consistently demonstrated engineering excellence, securing All India Rank 2 at DD Robocon 2023, along with multiple top-tier finishes in various competitions. Beyond competitions, our team focuses on developing technologies that reflect real-world engineering: precision mechanisms, autonomous systems, high-performance drivers, advanced controls, an d intelligent sensing.

Current Flagship Projects

1. IRC Rover – Astrobiology Mission (2025 Season)

Our rover designed for the International Rover Challenge (IRC) integrates terrestrial navigation, autonomous traversal, scientific sampling, and Fluorescent Activity Detection (FAD) using Flavin Adenine Dinucleotide (FAD) to identify potential biosignatures. The rover’s system includes:

• Custom brushless and brushed motor drivers
• 6-wheel rocker-bogie suspension system
• Onboard ARM-based compute unit
• Hazard cameras for tele-operation
• Scientific payload module with fluorescence detection
• High-speed industrial communication and power distribution network

2. Robocon 2025 Robots – Precision Pickers & High-Speed Throwers

This year’s Robocon 2025 lineup is all about speed, precision, and smooth coordination. We’ve built two specialized robots that work together—one focused on fast and accurate picking, and the other designed for powerful and consistent ball throwing.

Both robots feature:

• Optimized drivetrains for quick, stable movement
• Lightweight, efficient mechanisms for higher cycle rates
• Improved gripping and release systems for reliable scoring
• Better motor tuning and response control
• Modular designs that make repairs and upgrades easier during matches

The picker bot handles rapid pick-and-place tasks with clean, repeatable motion, while the thrower bot is tuned for long-range accuracy and high throwing consistency across the arena. Together, they make the 2025 system faster, more stable, and more competition-ready than anything we’ve built before.

The attached video is of our 2024 bot journey .

3. Hyperion Motor Driver (40–80A, 24–48V)

Inspired by industrial-grade power electronics, our in-house motor driver delivers:

• High-current MOSFET switching
• Closed-loop torque/speed control
• High-frequency PWM
• Real-time thermal monitoring
• Modular PCB stack for performance evaluation

This driver is now being adapted for use across all our autonomous robots.

4. Project InterCom – High-Reliability Communication System

A student-led initiative to build an affordable, accessible, and Deaf-friendly video communication intercom, integrating:

• Raspberry Pi compute modules
• Custom PCB for signal handling
• Vibration-based emergency alerts
• Wired and wireless video communication
• Accessible UI with sign-language-ready interface

How PCBWay Can Empower Us

One of the most critical subsystems in our robots is the electronics and PCB architecture. Across all our projects, we extensively rely on in-house PCB design for:

• Motor drivers
• Power management modules
• Sensor fusion boards
• Communication interfaces
• High-speed data acquisition systems

Our team routinely prototypes 2-layer and 4-layer PCBs for autonomous systems, motor control, and sensor integration. Fast, reliable PCB manufacturing directly impacts the performance and dependability of our robots.

Support from PCBWay would enable:

Rapid prototyping and testing cycles for all ongoing projects

More design exposure for junior members eager to learn PCB design

Higher-quality boards for mission-critical systems in competitions

Expansion into advanced designs like 6-layer PCBs, FPCs, and RF circuits

Faster progress toward our long-term goals of building industry-grade robotics innovations

With multiple teams working simultaneously—Robocon, IRC Rover, driver development, intercom systems, autonomous navigation—PCBWay’s support would accelerate every aspect of our R&D and help us build more reliable, efficient, and competition-ready systems.

Looking Ahead

Team Automatons is committed to creating an ecosystem of innovation, mentorship, and engineering excellence at PCCOE. With PCBWay’s support, we aim to:

Compete internationally with next-generation autonomous robots

Inspire more students to pursue advanced robotics and technology

Build systems that bridge academic research and industry application

Achieve breakthroughs in autonomy, controls, and embedded systems

We are excited about the possibility of collaborating with PCBWay and taking our vision to even greater heights.