The SUST Onushondhan team from Shahjalal University of Science and Technology (SUST) has secured the opportunity to participate in the Singapore Autonomous Underwater Vehicle Challenge (SAUVC) 2025, Asia’s largest underwater robotics competition. SAUVC is an international competition where students design and develop Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUVs) using innovative technology and compete against teams from around the world.
The team’s project, ORCA, is designed to perform complex underwater tasks, including search and rescue operations, environmental monitoring, and data collection for research. Equipped with advanced sensors, cameras, and artificial intelligence, the vehicle can autonomously navigate pre-determined paths. The project is the result of extensive research and innovation, with the potential to contribute significantly to Bangladesh’s waterways. All members of SUST Onushondhan are current and former students of SUST who have worked tirelessly to bring the project to life.
Although the team is ready to participate in SAUVC 2025, securing the necessary funding remains a challenge. While the university administration is working to arrange financial support, the limited time frame makes the situation uncertain. Team members believe that if they miss the opportunity this year, institutions like SUST may face difficulties in securing representation on such international platforms in the future.
The team comprises of Ad Din Mahbub, Nainaiu Rakhine, Nihal Beg, Farhanul Islam, Ali Tariq, Imtiaz Ahmed, Mehedi Hasan, Faisal Zaman, Safwat Adiba, Nusrat Jahan Urmi.Professor Dr Mohammad Shahidur Rahman from the Department of Computer Science is the team’s supervisor.