The future will surely depend increasingly on energy efficient underwater systems powered by artificial intelligence, advanced sensors, robotics, and data analytics, said Kamaljit Ray, Senior Scientist and Advisor at the Ministry of Earth Sciences on Tuesday in Chennai.

Speaking at the National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT) at the commencement of the National Student Challenge Programme 2026, she said, “The ocean remains one of the least explored frontiers on earth. The oceans influence climate, weather, food security, energy resources, and national security. Technologies such as autonomous underwater vehicles are becoming indispensable tools to understanding the ocean.”

“Whatever you find on the planet regarding resources, equally or more is available in the marine environment. Do we know how much really exists in the marine side? We need tools to explore this. The survey of explorations needs some autonomous vehicles,” said Balaji Ramakrishnan, Director of NIOT.

The main objective of the programme is to encourage engineering students to work on underwater technologies and develop innovative solutions for marine applications. The competition is open only to undergraduate engineering students and provides them with an opportunity to conceptualise, design, and develop Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUVs) based on engineering principles.

NIOT will provide financial assistance up to ₹5 lakhs per institute/team who make it to the final competition. This funding is intended to support the design refinement, fabrication, integration, field testing, and final demonstration of the Autonomous Surface Vehicles (ASVs) in line with the challenge objectives, according to a press release.