Who Are We?
Our team has got 42 members, and is divided into four subdivisions: Software, Electrical, Mechanical, and Business, each with about 10-15 members. The team is structured so that first-year members are trainees who learn fundamental skills and work on relatively simple tasks on the vehicle. Second-year members are responsible for completing a large number of tasks, many of which are sophisticated. Third-year members take on managerial roles, overseeing the team's progress and assigning tasks while also working on more complex tasks themselves. Fourth-year members have an almost entirely managerial outlook, focusing on maintaining motivation and direction within the team and making important decisions. The team meets in the lab, where each subdivision works collaboratively on different aspects of the vehicle, including brainstorming and tinkering.
Our software team focuses on maintaining, fixing, and improving the codebase for our autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV). We also work on new features such as improved vision and hearing algorithms, as well as living up to the A in AUV.
The electrical subdivision is responsible for the vehicle's circuitry and testing various electrical components. They also work with the mechanical team to ensure waterproofing of the vehicle.
The mechanical team is responsible for ensuring the stability and balance of the AUV, as well as ensuring that all components are properly fitted and the vehicle does not collapse.
The business team handles marketing, including using social media and news networks to get the team's name out there, as well as finance, including obtaining sponsorships and project tie-ups. They also maintain the AUV's website
What Have We Done So Far?
In the past 10 years, our team has successfully built six versions of the Matsya AUV, our flagship vehicle. We build the Matsya primarily for the RoboSub competition, where we achieved 7th place in our most recent participation. Our best result was in 2016, when we placed 2nd with the Matsya 4 model. In addition to participating in competitions, we have also taken on industrial projects such as ship hull inspections for L&T defense and building an autonomous USV (Underwater Surface Vehicle) in partnership with navy officials at INS Shivaji (naval base in Lonavala), which won the Best Project Award. We are proud to have received recognition and sponsorship from India's Naval Committee and have grown from a small group of enthusiasts to one of the most well-known and established tech teams on campus. In recent years, we have also started collaborating with start-ups and companies to build underwater bots and navigation systems for commercial use, such as our partnership with DRONA to create a mini-underwater bot model, primarily used for educational/enthusiast purposes.
What is our Vision?
Our current focus is on preparing the body of Matsya 7 and refining and testing Matsya 6. We aim to address any issues we faced in the RoboSub competition and improve the modules for our camera and navigation systems.
In the long term, we plan to increase our involvement in industrial and research projects and continue to develop and refine the Matsya AUV. Our goal is to become a well-regarded, interconnected team with expertise in navigation, acoustics, and vision systems. We also hope to make our electrical systems more durable and simplify them over time, and to use clever engineering to stabilize the mechanical body of the vehicle. We are working on various design changes to create a lighter, faster AUV.
Who are we looking for, and what's in it for you?
The skills learned in each subdivision are as follows:
- Software: hardcore programming, system design, working with complex algorithms.
- Electrical: attention to detail in circuit design and building functional systems.
- Mechanical: designing, analyzing, and manufacturing mechanisms and structures from scratch, including solid modeling, simulations, manufacturing, and assembling.
- Business: interacting with professionals, marketing, and negotiation.
To join our team, we only require that you are a freshman and have a dedication to the team. And, a passion for your chosen subdivision is certainly a plus. We assure you that the time and effort you put in will be worth it.
Contact Us
You can always shoot an email to auviitb@iitb.ac.in, or auviitb@gmail.com, our official email IDs. Alternatively, you can contact 9082887657, one of our team leads.