Brac students make wonder, again

Brac University students have made it to the finals of an international underwater rover competition with a low-budget and self-made autonomous underwater vehicle ‘Duburi’.

The team went through to final 15 of Singapore Autonomous Underwater Vehicle Competition (SAUVC), organised by IEEE and OES (Oceanic Engineering Society), at Singapore.

SAUVC website says, the winner among 15 other universities from China, Singapore, Hong Kong, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, and India, will be announced at a programme today.

‘BracU Duburi’ is believed to be Bangladesh’s first-ever autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) to have participated in an international competition abroad. It underwent a primary selection round among a pool of 46 rovers competing from 13 countries.

The group testing out their equipment at a swimming pool in Singapore.

According to its makers, ‘Duburi’, a wireless underwater rover, performs autonomously once it is submerged into the water and transmission of start signal. It uses image processing and some reverse engineered waterproof sensors for stabilising its movement underwater.

Brac University Associate Professor Dr Khalilur Rahman, the advisor of the project, told The Daily Star: “I believe, we could have done a better job with professional tools and gear. Still though, I am proud that they made it to the finals.”

Adnan Sabbir, leader of the ‘BracU Duburi’ team, told The Daily Star that the rover has much potential in Bangladesh, a land that is filled with river bodies and wetlands.

“A rover like ‘Duburi’ can be a great helping hand for preserving our water bodies. It can be used to examine the water condition of our rivers and much more,” he said.

The team behind the ‘BracU Duburi’ includes Rahatul Amin Ananto, Sakib Ahmed Sumdany, and Shayantan Arko, all of whom along with their advisor Dr Khalilur Rahman are in Singapore.

This is not the first time Brac University has taken Bangladesh forward in robotics.

Previously, students of Brac University made Bangladesh’s first nano satellite ‘Brac Onnesha’ and the country’s first Mars rover ‘Mongol Tori’, and lunar excavator ‘Chondrobot’ – all of which received wide acclamation.