The Clubs of MIT: Student Projects

Just outside the KC gate is a compound that houses an unassuming cluster of buildings that most people pass by without a second glance. Yet, every evening from the time classes end until late into the night, some of the most intelligent, talented, dedicated and passionate students of MIT gather here to accomplish feats of engineering that the rest of us only dream of. These are the people to whom engineering is not just a bunch of classes or an abstract concept but the work that they do every single day. Here is the list of the major student projects of MIT and what each of them does.

  1. AeroMIT
  2. Cryptonite
  3. Dronaid
  4. Formula Manipal
  5. LoopMIT
  6. Manipal BioMachines
  7. Mars Rover Manipal
  8. MotoManipal
  9. Parikshit
  10. Project Manas
  11. RoboManipal
  12. Robotics and Circuits
  13. R.U.G.V.E.D
  14. SolarMobil
  15. S.W.A.R.M ROBOTICS
  16. Team AUV Manipal
  17. Team Combat Robotics
  18. Team Manipal Racing
  19. ThrustMIT
  20. “Vision”


AeroMITaeromit

AeroMIT is a team of over 30 interdisciplinary undergraduate students of Manipal University
who aim to conceptualize, design, fabricate, manufacture, test and fly a complex, stable
and portable model aircraft with minimal empty weight, maximum payload carrying capacity and high endurance.

AeroMIT participates in the SAE AeroDesign event held in the USA every year. In 2020, the Team secured 1st in the Technical Presentation with an overall world rank of 4. They also ranked 5th and 7th worldwide, in the 2019 and 2018 edition respectively. In addition, they take part in various competitions across India held at different colleges such as IIT Bombay, NIT Surathkal, NIT Calicut. The mission of the competition is to train future engineers in handling all the aspects of a project, including the raising of funds, maintaining a budget and building an aircraft feasible for remote and rapid deployments. This project provides the members with technical knowledge beyond the scope of textbooks, along with exposure to the professional world and improving managerial skills. They also undertake the design and fabrication of various multi-rotors and drones to fulfil different mission requirements. This is followed by extensive research, analysis and assimilation of information.

AeroMIT annually organises SkyRush—the only Aeromodelling and Flying competition held in Manipal—which witness participants from all over the country.


Cryptonite

Cryptonite—the official ethical hacking and cybersecurity team of MIT— actively works in the fields of cryptography, cyber forensics, reverse engineering, binary exploitation and web exploitation. Consistently performing well in Capture The Flag competitions, they currently hold the 28th position in the country and are amongst the top 2% teams all over the world. 

Recruited members swiftly move ahead on the path of their holistic development—gaining a deep understanding of traditional methods and techniques, using opportunities to apply them, and learning how to incorporate other fields of science with cybersecurity. 

 

Dronaid

 Dronaid is a noteworthy venture into the overlapping fields of Artificial Intelligence and Medicine. They aim to make healthcare more accessible all across India with the help of Artificial Intelligence(AI), Unmanned Aerial Vehicles(UAV) and app development. The team is committed to building an “Autonomous Drone System”.  It finds several applications such as being used as a transport vehicle, first aid kit with a user manual, tourniquets to stop bleeding, tools to support fractured limbs,  and monitoring of water and air samples for research purposes. 

Due to this project, public health services can be significantly improved. Diseases can be kept in control, and consequently, effective measures can be taken. 

 

Formula Manipal

formula manipal

Formula Manipal is a student engineering project based at MIT. It is a team of students who aim to design, conceptualize, fabricate, test and race a single-seater, open-wheel Formula Style race car. Since its first competition in 2008, the team has participated in competitions in Italy, UK, Austria, Germany and the Czech Republic and many more.

Their initial achievements included the ‘Farthest Travelled Team award’ (2008 Italy) and ‘Fastest Indian FSAE car’ (2013 Germany). FMX4, the season 2014 car, scaled new heights at the Formula Student India 2015, winning seven trophies and two national records after commendable performances in the Formula Student Germany and Formula Student Czech Republic 2014. The season 2016 car, FMX6, came 3rd in the Design event at Formula Bharat 2017. 

FMX8 qualified and competed in the Formula Student Austria. They also won four awards in Formula Bharat 2019 and stood 3rd against 72 teams. For the first time, they bagged 2nd in the design event and 3rd overall with their electric car.

FM20 & FM20e competed in Formula Bharat 2020. The combustion car FM 20 emerged as the Autocross Winners and bagged two special awards presented by Ather Energy, Bangalore. Both the cars qualified in Formula Student Austria, Hungary & Czech Republic for the 2020 Season.

Having so much to match up to, the team looks forward to an exciting season, hoping to carry on the legacy of Formula Manipal with their tagline ‘Engineered with Passion.’


LoopMIT

LoopMIT is a persistent student team from multiple engineering fields working on designing and developing a subscale prototype transport vehicle named The Hyperloop Pod to participate in the “SpaceX Hyperloop pod design” competition. This competition invites student teams internationally to demonstrate the technical feasibility of various aspects of the Hyperloop concept. LoopMIT aims to be the first Asian team to participate with a levitating pod. 

The idea of Hyperloop —first revealed in 2013 by Elon Musk, founder of SpaceX and Tesla — since then has been recognized as a revolutionary development in transportation. The team aims to be a part of such growth presently as well as in the future.


Manipal BioMachines

The official synthetic biology and genetic engineering student project of MIT, Manipal BioMachines, was founded on the 14th of March 2020. The team aims to combat pressing global issues by developing long-term, efficient, and environment-friendly solutions using bioengineering skills. They strive to see a cleaner, greener, and safer world.

Their vision is to take up new problem statements each year and develop alternate solutions to such complexities that could not be solved by conventional engineering techniques. They intend to compete in the annually held iGEM (International Genetically Engineered Machine) competition amongst events.

This year the team plans to genetically engineer a bacterium that will convert methyl mercury and other organic mercury compounds into elemental mercury in conditions prevalent inside the human gut. Hence prove the concept for the use of such engineered bacteria for probiotic applications.

 

Mars Rover Manipal

Mars Rover Manipal is a team of undergraduates working on building a next-generation Mars Rover to contribute to Mars exploration while working with humans. They annually represent MIT at the University Rover Challenge (URC) in the USA. The URC is a premier robotics competition organised annually at the Mars Desert Research Station. They target this competition as a platform for them to develop their engineering skills in the design and deployment of an intelligent rover system. They have electronics, mechanical and management teams. They stood 13th in the 2016 URC.

The team has been topping the charts in India consecutively for the past 4 years and has maintained under 10 ranking worldwide. They also won the inaugural edition of the Indian Rover Challenge (IRC) held in 2018. They further went on organise the Indian Rover Challenge in 2019, held at Manipal Institute of Technology.

Following these string of great achievements, MRM has seen notable milestones this year as well. These include technical advancements to make the rover perform better and autonomously. MRM also participated in Indian Rover Design Challenge (IRDC), organized by the Mars Society South Asia (MSSA), where the team stood 1st among 28 teams from 7 different countries.

MotoManipal

Motomanipal is a well-reputed student project at MIT. It is a team of hardworking students devoted to building efficient and environment-friendly electric-superbikes since 2018. They participated in Asian E-Bike Challenge(AEBC-2019), an echo friendly competition for manufacturing a commercial electric bike, and were winners for several categories. They competed against the 35 teams of undergraduate engineering students from all over India. 

With a clear goal in mind, Motomanipal plans to participate in various national and international competitions and dedicate themselves to research and multiple aspects of EVs. 

Their mission is to build a fully functional electric racing bike to participate in “MotoStudent” at Aragon, Spain, in 2022. They aim to be one of the first Indian teams to be participating in this event. They are currently working to join in one of the prestigious competitions, MotoStudent India-Electric (2021), competing to build an electric racing bike.  

With their tagline — The more you explore, the more you learn— the team aims to be the beacon of advancement in the fields of engineering.

 

Parikshitparikshit

The Parikshit Student Satellite Team is a group of around 40 engineering students from various branches with a common goal: to build a fully functional nano-satellite to be launched by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on-board their Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV). Parikshit has two scientific missions going into space. The primary payload is a thermal imaging camera which will be taking thermal images of the Indian sub-continent for monitoring Urban Heat Islands (UHI’s) and Ocean surface temperatures. The secondary payload involves an Electo-Dynamic Tether for de-orbiting the satellite after the end of its lifetime to help reduce space-debris in the Low Earth Orbit (LEO). This will be the first of its kind payload to be successfully tested on-board a nano-satellite. The team has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with ISRO to support the design, development and launch of their satellite.

MIT student Adheesh Boratkar represented the University for testing Parikshit’s Tether Deployment System in a zero-gravity parabolic flight at NASA. The team got four flights of 30 parabolas in zero-G to experiment with the payload. The team has marked outstanding achievement after performing the crucial phase of their project, deployer testing, at NASA. At present, the team is about to go for an environmental test and qualification model review.

The students frequently visit the ISRO Satellite Centre (ISAC) and other facilities to test and verify their work by distinguished scientists.

To join Parikshit, one only needs to be conceptually strong, willing to work hard and be dedicated to the project. The team is divided into six technical sub-systems and a management subsystem. The students constantly track other satellites and decode their beacon data. The team has also entered into a collaboration with Saber Astronautics, an Australian space company, for the design of the secondary payload. The team is frequently visited by many dignitaries for talks and discussions and has multiple industrial collaborations. The members of the team have published more than 40 technical papers and have been to international conferences like the “IEEE Aerospace Conference” and the “International Astronautical Congress”.

Project Manasmanas

The goal of Project Manas is to build a driverless car suitable for Indian roads. They are currently participating in “Driverless car Challenge” challenge as a part of Mahindra’s Spark the Rise event. They are currently one of the top 13 teams (of the original 259) in the challenge and the only undergraduate team to make it this far.

The team is divided into four subsystems. The Artificial Intelligence subsystem works on building the brain of the car and its members do a lot of work in the fields of computer vision and path planning. The Automation & Sensing subsystem is focused on the actuation and sensors of the car. The Mechanical subsystem is focused on the necessary physical changes to the car and the Management subsystem keeps everything running smoothly.

Project MANAS is the Grand Prize winner and won the Lescoe Cup at Intelligent Ground Vehicle Challenge (IGVC 2019), held in Michigan, USA. They are currently working on building an autonomous UAV and plan to participate in the next iteration of AUVSI SUAS competition at Maryland, USA.


RoboManipalrobomanipal

RoboManipal is the official Robotics team of Manipal Institute of Technology. The team aims to work in synergy to produce effective solutions and innovate in the field of Robotic Technology. RoboManipal comprises of 26 robotics enthusiasts who share a common interest and thrive to better themselves by cohesively exploring new avenues.

They participate in an annual international robotics competition called ABU ROBOCON, which is the biggest robotics competition in the Asia-Pacific region. It involves solving tasks and problem statements in a given amount of time. Another major competition in which the team participates in is World Robot Olympiad (WRO), where they get an opportunity to develop their creativity and problem-solving skills in an engaging way. It also participates in hackathons like the IICDC, a national innovation Hackathon by Texas Instruments.

Apart from being involved with work related to the competition, team members also pursue their passion for individual projects of their own. Fracktal Works, Xes Automation, Virid,  Strange Matter were some of the startups which incubated in RoboManipal. Even delving into the field of research, they consistently move forward with their motto: DREAM – BUILD – ACHIEVE.


Robotics and Circuits

Robotics and Circuits is a student team at MIT focusing on research and development in robotics, automation, computer vision, embedded systems, and allied fields. Since founded by Anuj Mangla in 2010, RNC participated in national level competitions and worked on various projects. They organize multiple workshops to share their skills with students interested in this field. 

RNC hosts Vedanth, an annual technical exhibition, and innovation contest, during TechTatva at MIT, providing an active stage for young minds to showcase their talent. It is open to students all over the country. In Vedanth 9.0, they displayed multiple projects of their own, and the winning project itself was another RNC project, “Friction Profile Generator.”

RNC previously featured in Times Of India and many such online and offline platforms for their team’s achievements. Their team is currently working on participating in the International Micromouse Challenge (IMC) at IIT Bombay. 

With their vision “experience, explore, innovate,” they plan to seek out robotics enthusiasts who can devote to their cause.

 

R.U.G.V.E.D

RUGVED, Remote Unmanned Ground Vehicular Electronic Defense Systems, a team of engineering undergraduates focused on building various bots for military defence and law enforcement applications powered by different cutting-edge technologies. It is a multidisciplinary group of students exploring the field of robotics that can be used in intelligence gathering, ordnance disposal, logistics, search and rescue, and combat operations.

They bagged 2nd position in the Ford GMEHackathon 2020 and also published two papers this year. With a steadfast approach to further the boundaries, RUGVED won theNational level Tata Pioneer’s Makerthon UAV Challenge at the Techfest 2017 IIT Bombay in the four months of forming the team. Since then, they have participated in IGVC— Intelligent Ground Vehicle Competition (2018)— for the first time and took the 8th position worldwide in the Design Challenge. Industrial giants like Nvidia, National Instruments, Sick, Hemisphere GNSS, Slamtec, Ansys have sponsored this team.

They are developing an autonomous reconnaissance vehicle that can traverse on land, housing a detachable drone and spherical bot for aerial and naval surveillance, scouting for enemy targets and activity while generating detailed maps.

 

SolarMobil

SolarMobil since its inception in 2011, has constantly been working towards achieving its one dream:  to fabricate a high-performance cruiser class solar car and at the same time focus on the practical feasibility of the vehicle for daily use.  With the motto of “Imagineering the future”, the team focuses on cost-effective, innovative and efficient ways of building a green future. The team comprises students from different fields of engineering working relentlessly towards designing an electric passenger solar car.

They have successfully designed and manufactured solar cars, namely FREYR-1 and Serve, and have built two more prototypes SM-S1 and SM-S2. With FREYR-1. SolarMobil became one of India’s three teams to design and fabricate a solar car from scratch completely. Serve bagged the First Prize at Ujjwal, IIT Mumbai’s TechFest. Serve was awarded 3rd position at Cil India Innovation Challenge, becoming India’s first 2-seater Solar Vehicle. The solar car also won the QuEST Ingenium 2015.

The team won ASME SLDC 2016 and bagged 3rd place in Anveshan 2017 with SM-S1. SM-S1 was India’s First 4-seater Solar Vehicle. SM-S2 was invited to feature at the Champions of Champions 2019, Vijayawada, and Future Mobility Show 2019, Bangalore by ISIE.

Their next plan is to participate in the Electric Solar Vehicle Challenge 2021 and the World Solar Challenge with a single-seater solar racing car.


S.W.A.R.M Robotics

This team aims to build a collection of autonomous entities which interact with each other to perform multiple tasks—from simple ones like mapping an unknown region to complex jobs involving search and rescue operations in a high-risk environment. They are currently working on building advanced sensors and drivers for research in the field of autonomous swarms.


Team AUV Manipal

Project AUV Manipal consists of a group of undergraduates from MIT dedicated to exploring the domain of underwater robotics. The team aims to ideate, design, and fabricate Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROVs) and Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUVs). It focuses on the ways by which these self-powered vehicles can be made intelligent and sufficiently adaptable. 

Team AUV annually participates in Robonation’s RoboSub, an international underwater robotics competition held in the United States of America. They also take part in SAUVC, an underwater robotics competition held in Singapore. These events enable the participants to create experimental AUVs for real-world applications and delve deeper into the research field. 

Divided into four subsystems—Mechanical, Electronics and Electrical, Artificial Intelligence and Coding, and Management—the team is currently working on manufacturing the AUV ahead of RoboSub 2021. 


Team Combat Robotics

Team Combat Robotics is a group of enthusiastic engineering undergraduates who work towards building efficient and capable combat robots. Right from the designs to putting together the electrical and mechanical aspects of the bots—all is done within their own workshops.  

The team participates in various events including BITS Pilani Quark, MIT Tech Tatva, IIT Bombay Tech Fest, and several college tech fests in and around Manipal. With the first horizontal bar spinning robot in southern India to its name, the team has also built multiple arena-ready bots for events like RoboWars, RoboSoccer and RoboSomu. Their specifications range from quick movements for light bots to a sturdy build for the ones ready to battle. 


Team Manipal Racingtmr

Team Manipal Racing is Manipal University’s official off-road racing team. They are involved in designing, fabricating and testing their all-terrain vehicle. It is a 25-member student team without any external support from faculty or industry experts with a vision to expand the ATV culture across the country and develop their prototype to face real time situations like agriculture, defence, and medicine and rescue operations. The team participates in national events wherein they compete with over 200 college teams.

 V11 will be the latest version of their ATV that incorporates technologies that they have improved and improvised since the first version of their car, V1, dating back to 2008. Team Manipal racing v10 wrapped up its twelfth season, getting awarded 25th in overall statics, 6th in acceleration, and 11th in business presentation at BAJA SAE India NATRAX in Jan 2020.

This year, in Feb 2020, the team had participated in Enduro Student India, where they were placed 5th overall, 2nd in business presentation, and 3rd in overall dynamics. At SAE BAJA International held in U.S.A., the team acquired 19th in design report evaluation and cost presentation and 25th overall in the virtual event.

 With the next car, V11, their first electric vehicle, they aim to compete in BAJA SAE India 2021 and Enduro student India 2021.


ThrustMIT

ThrustMIT is one of India’s first rocketry teams. They participated in Spaceport America Cup—the biggest platform for UG and PG to showcase their rocketry skills—for the first time in 2018. The team won the Spot award for the design of the rocket. It launched its first sounding rocket Vyom, standing 8ft tall and weighing 26kg, at the competition and was recovered successfully. In 2019, its rocket Arya, 8.2 ft tall and weighing 24 kgs, performed in the 10000 ft. COTS category, where they bagged a spot award for Team Professionalism.

They’re currently working on this year’s rocket, Phoenix, to be showcased at the Spaceport America Cup 2021. It incorporates a unique Payload design as well. 

They are an amalgamation of various branches of engineering, mechanical, electronics and computer science, and aim to bring awareness and interest in India about the field of rocket science, through hands-on experience. They have built two working prototypes in their quest for perfection. At ThrustMIT, they literally deal with rocket science!


“Vision”

A 30 member team, forming one of India’s first student projects to be working on Augmented Reality, was started merely by the dedication to learning this new tech by two friends. Since forming in May 2018, Vision is now developing a Virtual Positioning System by integrating Machine learning and Augmented Reality.

Presently, the team is building an AR navigation app that will map the campus in great detail. The app would be similar to google maps but with higher accuracy and precise navigation for the area mapped. The team plans to participate in Image Processing competitions and Unity creator challenges after developing the app.

With the zeal to achieve greater heights, the team has the ultimate goal of creating their AR headset with a basic operating system of its own and apps powered by custom hardware designed by the members.

 

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Written by MTTN Crew

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