IIT Madras ocean engineering students win global autonomous ship-building challenge

IIT Madras's Team Aritra won the 2026 Njord Challenge in Norway for autonomous surface vessels. The team finished ahead of 22 teams after strong performances in navigation and surprise challenges. The result strengthens the institute's global standing in marine autonomous systems and practical maritime innovation.

In Short

• The competition evaluated autonomous surface vessels in challenging real-world maritime conditions
• Team Aritra previously finished third globally and won the Sustainability Award
• Professor V Kamakoti urged students to advance work for national benefit

Three students from the Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT Madras) have won an international competition in Norway that tests how well boats can move and navigate without constant human control.

Team Aritra, from the institute’s Department of Ocean Engineering, won the 2026 Njord Challenge in Trondheim, held from August 10 to 14. The team finished ahead of 22 other teams from nine countries.

WHAT WAS THE COMPETITION ABOUT?

The Njord Challenge, organised by the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, asks students to build and operate boats that can complete tasks on their own.

These boats use cameras, navigation tools and computer systems to understand their surroundings and decide where to go. The teams were tested on tasks such as parking the boat at a specific location, avoiding obstacles, finding routes and moving through the water.

The competition also included a surprise challenge to see how teams handled a situation they had not prepared for.

IIT MADRAS TEAM TAKES THE TOP SPOT

Team Aritra scored 90.42 points to win the competition. Turkiye’s MYS YAVUZ finished second with 79.90 points, while Poland’s AGH Solar Boat came third with 79.63 points.

The IIT Madras team received full marks in the route-finding and boat-control tasks. Months of testing at the institute’s water-testing facility and campus lake helped the students prepare.

The team included Aarav Patel, S Gurukesav and Madhava Sai. Dr Abhilash Sharma Somayajula and Prof M A Atmanand mentored the students, with support from the Marine Autonomous Vessels Laboratory.

WHEN THE BOAT FACED TECHNICAL PROBLEMS

The team also had to deal with unexpected problems during the competition.

Strong magnetic interference affected a device that helps the boat understand its movement and direction. The students also found that the camera and GPS systems were interfering with each other.

They had to identify these problems and make changes so the boat could continue navigating reliably.

S Gurukesav said, “We scored full points in the pathfinding and manoeuvring tasks and performed well in the others, thanks to months spent fine-tuning our perception, controls and navigation systems for real-world conditions on the fjord.”

Aarav Patel added, “We hope our journey reminds people that it is worth giving the unconventional a shot.”

HOW AUTONOMOUS BOATS CAN HELP

Self-navigating boats could be used to monitor ports, check coastal areas, collect information about the sea and conduct surveys.

IIT Madras Director Prof V Kamakoti congratulated the students and encouraged them to take their work forward for the benefit of the country.

The institute had previously finished third in the competition in 2023 and won its Sustainability Award.

- Ends