An Engineering graduate, on graduation, is expected to have a skill set to find solutions to problems of society. Along with the domain specific knowledge, other basic skills that are expected are: Communication, Leadership, Teamwork, Problem Solving, Planning, Motivation and Enthusiasm, Adaptability, Flexibility, and Ability to Build Relationships. All these mandates engineering education to be experiential, practical, relevant, and up to date. Keeping this in mind, as an experiment, in 2007, Institute came up with the idea of Major Student Projects, wherein, institute provides infrastructure to build a technical project to compete in national & international competitions. Currently, there are 25 Major Student Project Teams operating in MIT campus.

All these teams are interdisciplinary in nature, having student representation from the first to final year. In the process of getting into the team, and selecting the members of the team, students learn to face and conduct interviews. With the team size ranging from 25 to 50, students learn to work in a group. By working under tight schedules, they learn to meet deadlines. By submitting Quarterly progress report, scheduling the task and by presenting budget required for the financial year, they hone their documentation, planning and presentation, skills. To generate the financial support, the teams need to sell their ideas to possible sponsors. In the process, they learn marketing, budgeting, and accounting skills. Thus, with this activity, we have gained learning experience beyond the classroom.

Projects being innovative in nature, these activities have seen many publications and start-ups coming out of these ventures. Institutions also envisage more scope for publication and IPs. To enable this, teams have added a research wing.

Formula Manipal, the Formula Student team of MAHE, is the first and oldest student project of MIT Manipal, founded in 2007. The team pioneered the student project culture in Manipal and continues to be one of India’s most successful Formula Student teams. Since its inception, Formula Manipal has designed, fabricated, and raced 15 remarkably engineered single-seater, open-wheel race cars, earning accolades at prestigious international competitions such as Formula Student Germany, Austria, Italy, UK and Hungary, as well as at national events like Formula Bharat. Over the years, the team has consistently delivered strong performances — from securing top positions in static events like Cost and Manufacturing to excelling in dynamic events such as Acceleration and Autocross. Formula Manipal also holds national records, including the fastest acceleration by a Formula Student car in India at 4.19 seconds.

In recent years, the team has successfully phased out its combustion program and transitioned into the electric vehicle (EV) category, debuting with an exceptional performance by securing 3rd overall in its first-ever electric competition — a feat achieved against teams with over a decade of experience. Continuing its legacy of innovation, Formula Manipal is now venturing into the driverless category, aiming to develop one of India’s first Formula Student-scale driverless race cars. Beyond competitions, the team has made notable contributions to research and innovation, with one awarded patent, two filed patents, and numerous publications in reputed journals and conferences. Formula Manipal stands as a symbol of technical excellence, teamwork, and the relentless pursuit of engineering innovation within MAHE. The team is awarded with 1 patent, filed for 3 patents and has 13 journal & 4 conference publications to its credit, so far.

Faculty Advisors:

1.  Dr. Dayananda K Pai

     Aeronautical & Automobile Division

     School of Mechanical Engineering

     dayanand.pai@manipal.edu

2.  Dr. Prateek Jain

     Electrical and Electronics Division

     School of Electrical Engineering

     prateek.jain@manipal.edu

Formula Manipal Team Leaders, 2025 - 26:

1.        Amogha Rao (Team Manager)

2.        Vandana Malhotra (Mechanical Lead)

3.        Krit Gupta (Electrical Lead)

Team Mail ids:

formulamanipal@manipal.edu

management.formulamanipal@gmail.com

SolarMobil, established in 2011, is the official Solar Car team of MIT Manipal. Since its inception, the team has been dedicated to developing solar-electric vehicles to promote sustainable transportation and advance the use of clean energy. The team holds the   distinction of building India’s first four-seater and two-seater solar passenger vehicles and has successfully built six vehicles — Freyr, SERVe, SM S-1, SM S-2, Zenith, and Heliark. At the Electric Solar Vehicle Challenge (ESVC) 2023, Zenith secured 1st position in Business Plan and Optimum Cost, along with the Future Award, Best Teamwork Award, and Overall 4th Position, while at the Solar Electric Vehicle Championship (SEVC) 2023 in Coimbatore, the team won the Solar Endurance Award, Optimum Cost Award, Femina Award, and Inspiring Faculty Award.

The team’s latest solar car, Heliark, built completely in-house, achieved remarkable success at ESVC 2025, held at Galgotias University, securing Overall 3rd, 1st in Acceleration, Design, and Aesthetics & Ergonomics, and 2nd in Business Plan, Cost Report, and Innovation. With a top speed of 95 km/h, drag coefficient of 0.166, and range of 350 km, it stands among the fastest and most efficient student-built solar EVs in India. Heliark integrates a custom ECU and dashboard based on ARM Cortex M4 and M7 cores, cloud-enabled telemetry, and advanced race engineering systems.

The team has filed 15+ patents in areas such as battery systems, suspension, and telemetry, published 4 journal and 5 conference papers, and collaborated with Tata Power Solar for high-efficiency solar panels. Alumni of the team have founded five startups — PARK-Cy, CUSTIV, Statiq, Eclectech, and Mercury Automotives. With innovation and sustainability at its core, Team SolarMobil continues to push boundaries.

Faculty Advisors:

1.  Dr. Vijay Babu Koreboina

     Mechatronics Division

     School of Mechanical Engineering

     vijaybabu.k@manipal.edu

2.  Dr. Ravindra Mallya

     Aeronautical & Automobile Division

     School of Mechanical Engineering

      ravindra.mallya@manipal.edu

SolarMobil Team Leaders, 2025–26:

1.         Vikram Rajesh (Team Captain)

2.         Dhyaan Mane (Team Vice-Captain)

3.         Varun Jayram (Team Manager)

Team Mail ids:

team.solarmobil@manipal.edu

team.solarmobil@gmail.com

Project MANAS, founded in 2014, is the AI and Robotics student research and development team of the Institute. The team focuses on researching and developing fully autonomous vehicles tailored to Indian traffic and environmental conditions.

Over the years, Project MANAS has made its mark in several prestigious international competitions. At the 31st Intelligent Ground Vehicle Competition (IGVC) 2023, held at Oakland University, Michigan, USA, the team secured 3rd position in the AutoNav Challenge. Continuing its success, the team participated in the 32nd IGVC 2024, winning 1st place in the Design Challenge and 4th overall among 20 teams. And to up the ante, not only did we finish 3rd once again Internationally at IGVC 2025, we also went on to become only the second Indian team ever to successfully complete the challenging AutoNav course. In aerial autonomy, the team has demonstrated consistent growth through its evolving avionics suite, with Seraphim (SUAS 2022), Antauri (SUAS 2023), and Freyja (SUAS 2024) — each iteration building upon the last in flight stability, mission capability, and intelligent perception. At SUAS 2024, held at St. Mary’s County Regional Airport, California, the team achieved 4th place in Mission Demonstration and 10th overall among 72 international teams. Previously, at SUAS 2023, the team secured 12th place among 72 global participants.The team’s legacy also includes earlier milestones such as securing 18th place at AUVSI-SUAS 2022, and winning the Grand Prize at IGVC 2019 in the USA, outperforming 35+ international teams. Additionally, Project MANAS was among the top 13 finalists in Mahindra’s Spark the Rise – Driverless Car Challenge (2019), winning a cash prize of ₹25 lakhs.

Project MANAS has filed one patent, published two journal papers, and contributed to over 22 conference publications, highlighting its deep commitment to innovation and research.Today, the team continues to push the frontier of AI and robotics research, with a current focus on developing a quadruped platform to advance legged locomotion, perception, and autonomous navigation, marking the next step in our pursuit of intelligent and adaptable robotic systems.

Faculty Advisors:

1.Dr.Ashalatha Nayak

    Computer Science Division

    School of Computer Engineering

    asha.nayak@manipal.edu

2.  Dr Andrew J

     Computer Science Division

     School of Computer Engineering

     andrew.j@manipal.edu

Project Manas Team Leaders, 2025–26:

1.        Om Kumar (Team Manager)

2.        Davasam Karthikeya (Technical Head)

Team Mail ids:

projectmanas.mit@gmail.com

projectmanas.mit@manipal.edu  

Established in 2013, Mars Rover Manipal (MRM) is a passionate student team dedicated to building next-generation planetary rovers. The team designs and develops advanced semi-autonomous rovers capable of performing complex tasks that simulate real Martian exploration missions.Our rover features a custom patented five-bar suspension system, a lightweight chassis, four-bar robotic manipulator, and balloon tires that enable smooth travel across rough terrain. Designed with modularity in mind, it carries different modules for science, navigation, and the robotic arm.The rover can collect and analyze soil samples, perform basic chemical tests to assess habitability, and uses cameras and LidAR for autonomous navigation. Mars Rover Manipal is the defending champion of the International Rover Challenge (IRC) and is recognized as the best rover team in Asia. The team secured 3rd place in the Science Mission at the University Rover Challenge (URC) 2024 and achieved a top 10 finish at the European Rover Challenge (ERC) 2025 — milestones that highlight our global competitiveness and engineering excellence. Our research team spans diverse domains ranging from communication systems to computer vision, with over 50 publications in top-tier journals and conferences.

Faculty Advisors:

1.Dr. Ujjwal Verma

Department of Electronics and Communication Engineering

ujjwal.verma@manipal.edu

2.Dr. Gururaj Bolar

Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering

gururaj.bolar@manipal.edu

Mars Rover Manipal Team Leaders, 2025–26:

1.Aarish Patel (Team Leader)

2.Kedar Vetal (Team Manager)

Team Mail ids:

marsrovermanipal@manipal.edu

marsrovermanipal@gmail.com

Team RoboManipal is the official robotics team of MIT Manipal, currently led by Prahadeesh T N and Praanesh V A. Started in 2010, the team brings together over 40 engineers from different disciplines who are passionate about building real-world robotics solutions. In 2025, RoboManipal became the first Indian team to qualify for RoboCup@Work, a global robotics championship focused on factory automation. We achieved first place at Ather Energy’s Byte Battles, along with a ₹1 lakh cash prize, and emerged as winners at TAFE Innovista – Tech Ted., secured second place at Tech Solstice 2025 at MIT-Bengaluru, as well as third place at Robonautica at IISC, Bengaluru's Rhapsody 3.0. In 2024, the team placed 8th at Technoxian 8.0 and secured an All-India rank of 22 at RoboCon. The year before, they placed 3rd at Technoxian 7.0 and achieved AIR 21 at RoboCon 2023. Beyond competitions, RoboManipal is actively involved in research, with 4 journal publications, 7 conference papers, 4 published patents, and 11 more patents currently filed. The team’s journey continues to inspire, with alumni founding ventures like Fracktal Works, a 3D printing startup that has been going strong since 2013.

Faculty Advisor: 

Dr. Ishwar Bhiradi 

Department of Mechatronics

ishwar.bhiradi@manipal.edu

Team RoboManipal Team Leaders, 2025 -26: 

1.  Prahadeesh T N (Team Leader)

2.  Praanesh V A (Team Manager)

Team RoboManipal Team Mail ids: 

team.robomanipal@manipal.edu

team.robomanipal@gmail.com 

MotoManipal, founded in 2018, is a student team dedicated to the design and manufacture of high-performance electric superbikes. The team has made significant strides in cutting-edge EV research, including optimized thermal management, and helmet detection models, among many others. Comprising students from diverse engineering disciplines, MotoManipal is organized into four key subsystems - Mechanical, E-Powertrain, Machine Learning, and Management. Since its inception, the team has consistently demonstrated technical excellence and innovation, earning numerous accolades across national competitions.Their first prototype, MM-01, won Best Commercial Bike and Best Innovation at the Asian E-Bike Challenge 2019. The team also secured 1st place overall in the National Online E-Bike Design Competition in both 2020 and 2021, and clinched the top prize at the Online E-Bike Design Competition conducted by Shri Ramakrishna Institute of Technology, Coimbatore, and Mechatron Motors in March 2022.Continuing its success on track, MotoManipal competed in FMAE MotoStudent India Season 3 (2024) at the Kari Motor Speedway, Coimbatore, achieving 1st place in Brakes and 2nd in Acceleration. Most recently, at FMAE MotoStudent India Season 4 (2025), the team’s outstanding performance earned 2nd place in Design Evaluation, 2nd in Brakes, 2nd in Endurance, and the coveted title of Overall Runners-Up.To date, MotoManipal has produced four research publications, reflecting its commitment to innovation and technical growth. Looking ahead, the team aims to compete in FMAE MotoStudent India Season 5 and represent India on the global stage at MotoStudent International 2027.

Faculty Advisors:

1. Prof.George Varghese

Department of Mechanical & Industrial Engineering 

george.varghese@manipal.edu

2. Dr. Arigela Sri Satya Veerendra Babu

Department of Electrical & Electronics Engineering

 veerendra.babu@manipal.edu

MotoManipal Team Leaders, 2025-26:

1.    Ujan Adhikary (Team Captain)

2.    DILIPAN M            (Team Manager)

MotoManipal Team Mail ids:

motomanipal.mit@manipal.edu

motomanipal@gmail.com

Team Manipal Racing (Combustion) established in 2008, is the official off-road racing team of Manipal with a mission to design & fabricate combustion all-terrain vehicles that compete at national and international level SAE-BAJA competitions. In the form of Vehicle Dynamics, Structures, Transmission, Brakes, Electronics, DAQ & Management, the team has 7 subsystems that work to build the ATVs. The teams mainly participate in SAE BAJA India, Enduro Student India, Mega-ATV and SAE BAJA USA. The team has ranked 1st position in phase 1 of mBAJA 2026. The team participated in BAJA SAE Maryland, Mechanicsville, USA during June 12-15, 2025 finishing overall 23^rd out of 100+ teams. In the Indian event , the team placed 4^th Overall , 1^st in CAE, 2^nd in Engineering Design and 1^st  in Validation and 3^rd in Endurance.  In m BAJA 2024 event, the team stood 2nd in Acceleration, 7th in Sledge Pull, 3rd in Endurance, 3rd in Sales event, 8th in Validation, 6th in Overall Dynamic, 12th in Build quality, 10th in Overall performance. In m BAJA 2023 event, team stood 1st in Validation & 4th in CAE, under static event category, participated by 114 teams. The team stood 2nd in dynamic & 8th overall static & dynamics out of 90 teams. Team alumnus has 1 startup named EMO. The team is granted 1 patent, has filed for 4 patents and has 3 journal & 2 conference publications to its credit, so far. 

Faculty Advisor:

Dr.Mahesh G.T 

Department of Aeronautical and Automobile Engineering  

mahesh.gt@manipal.edu 

Team Manipal Racing – CV Team Leaders, 2025- 26:

 1. Siddharth Hadap (Team Captain) 

2. Yashodhan Gohil (Team Vice-Captain) 

Team Email id:

 tmr.mit@manipal.edu

Team Manipal Racing Electric (TMR-E) is the official E-Baja SAE team of Manipal Academy of Higher Education and has proudly served as an Official Ambassador Team of eBAJA SAE India for the past two years, actively contributing to the growth, outreach, and technical strengthening of the electric off-road motorsport community. Since 2020, the team has been deeply invested in end-to-end EV research and development, designing and manufacturing high-performance electric all-terrain vehicles powered by a refined 9 kW powertrain. Our engineering efforts extend beyond competition, supported by a strong research output that includes three patent applications and five to seven journal publications in the domains of battery systems, power electronics, vehicle dynamics, and electric drivetrain optimisation—reflecting our commitment to advancing EV technology at both academic and industrial levels. As ambassadors, TMR-E has conducted workshops, technical sessions, and outreach programs to enhance EV awareness and technical competency among student teams nationwide. At eBAJA SAE India 2025, held at BVRIT Hyderabad from 19–24 February 2025, the team showcased its strongest performance yet, securing 9Th overall out of 95+ teams and achieving multiple top positions: 1st in Engineering Design, 1st in Sled Pull, 2nd in Maneuverability, 3rd in Dynamics, 4th in Acceleration, and 4th in CAE, demonstrating excellence in both static evaluation and dynamic on-track capability. These achievements reflect TMR-E’s continuous pursuit of innovation, research-driven engineering, and leadership in shaping the future of electric off-road mobility in India. 

Faculty Advisor: 
Prof. Ganesh Kudva 
Department of Electrical & Electronics Engineering 
ganesh.kudva@manipal.edu 

Team Manipal Racing – Electric Team Leaders, 2025–26:

1.    Team Captain: Atharva Vargante 

2.    Vice-Captain: Ishaan Gupta 

Team Mail id: 

tmrelectric@manipal.edu 

Aero MIT, founded in 2009, is the official aeromodelling and aerial robotics team of Manipal Academy of Higher Education. The team consists of over 30 interdisciplinary undergraduate students, divided into 4 subsystems. Every year, the team participates in the SAE Aero Design competition, held annually in the USA. The Team participated in SAE Aero Design West 2025, Apollo RC Field, Van Nuys, California, USA from 4-6 April 2025 and stood 1st in India, 1st in flight demonstration and readiness review and 7th Overall. AeroMIT had also participated in SAE Aerothon 2024 at Bangalore, during 14-16 November 2024 in which it achieved an Overall Rank of 2nd place in phase 1. It also participated in ‘Search and Rescue’ event at Quark, Bits Goa from 7-9 February 2025 and secured 2nd Position.Team participated in SAE Aero Design East 2024, Lakeland, Florida during 8-10 March 2024 and stood 7th World Rank; 8th in Overall Design Report, 7th in Technical Presentation and 5th in Mission Performance.It also participated in SAE Aero Design East 2023, during March at Florida, USA and stood 4th Overall, 2nd in Design Report, 4th in Technical Presentation &amp and 4th in Mission Performance, out of 16 teams in Micro class category.The team also has 2 international conference publication and 1 journal and 2 applied patents to its credit, so far.

Faculty Advisor:

Dr.Pallavi M

Department of Aeronautical and Automobile Engineering

pallavi.mit@manipal.edu

AeroMIT Team Leaders, 2025 -26:

1.  Anwak Kumar  (Technical head)

2.  Shashvat shah (Team Manager)

Team Mail ids :

aeromit@manipal.edu

aeromitofficial@gmail.com 

Parikshit Student Satellite Team is an interdisciplinary group of passionate undergraduate students dedicated to designing, developing, and launching a 2-U CubeSat in collaboration with ISRO and IN-SPACe. The satellite carries two payloads: a thermal imaging camera designed to capture images of the Indian subcontinent for applications such as monitoring urban heat islands and cloud patterns, and an electrodynamic tether to deorbit the satellite at the end of its mission, thereby helping to reduce space debris. Alongside this main project, the team actively participates in the CanSat India competition to sharpen its practical and systems-level engineering skills. The team recently showcased both its CubeSat and CanSat models at the IPSC 2025 Conference at IIT Roorkee, presenting them to Dr. V. Narayanan, Chairman of ISRO, Dr. Vinod Kumar, Director of IN-SPACe, Dr. Murthy Gudipati, NASA JPL and other esteemed scientists. With over 50 research publications to its name, Parikshit continues to push the boundaries of student-led space research and innovation.

Faculty Advisors:

1. Dr. Balbir Singh

Department of Aeronautical & Automobile Engineering

balbir.s@manipal.edu

2. Dr.Shreesha C

Department of Electronics and Instrumentation Engineering

shreesha.c@manipal.edu

Parikshit Team Leaders, 2025 -26:

1. Shrihar Pande (System Engineer)

2. Roselin Maria T J (System Admin)

Team Mail id:

parikshit.mu@manipal.edu

thrustMIT, established in 2016, is India’s top student-run rocketry team that builds sounding rockets to promote high-powered rocketry in India. Starting from their first rocket Vyom, to subsequent projects Arya, Pheonix, Rayquaza, Altair, AgniAstra, and Vayuvega, the team has consistently pursued innovation and engineering excellence. thrustMIT is making significant strides in developing in-house solid rocket motors and custom propellant formulations. Notably, the team has successfully static-fire tested an M-class motor and two J-class motors, all manufactured in-house. The team has published 2 papers in international journals, 7 publications in conference proceedings, and has been granted 1 patent.

Our latest rocket, Project Vayuvega, India’s first 30K COTS entry at the International Rocket Engineering Competition (IREC), achieved a successful launch and non-hazardous recovery, attaining an apogee of 29,432 ft. At the IREC 2025 (Midland, Texas, USA), the team ranked 4th in the 30K COTS category, 22nd Overall, and won the 2nd place prize (750 USD) in the Space Dynamics Laboratory Payload Challenge.

In 2024, thrustMIT developed Project AgniAstra, distinguishing them as the first Indian student team to design and manufacture a sounding rocket to reach 30,000 ft. The team participated in the 30K COTS category at the SA Cup 2024 and established themselves as the top ranked team from Asia, and achieving 7th position globally in Project Technical Report.

Faculty Advisor:

Dr. Srinivas G

Department of Aeronautical and Automobile Engineering

srinivas.g@manipal.edu

thrustMIT Team Leaders, 2025 - 26:

1. Shaunak Purkayastha (Team Leader)

2. Anushka Prabhutendolkar (Team Manager)

Team Email ids:

team.thrustmit@manipal.edu

thrustmit@gmail.com

Robotics and Circuits (RnC), fondly known as RnC, is an interdisciplinary team of passionate engineering students established in 2010 by Anuj Mangla as a Student Technical Club with the vision of imparting hands-on experience in robotics. Since 2019, it has evolved into an official Student Project at the Manipal Institute of Technology.

RnC explores and innovates across diverse domains including robotics, automation, computer vision, embedded systems, and allied technologies. The team is also deeply committed to fostering innovation within the student community through events such as Vedanth and Micromouse, which encourage students to think creatively and apply engineering concepts to real-world challenges.

Over the years, RnC has actively participated in numerous national and international competitions, hackathons, and innovation challenges, consistently achieving remarkable results. The team developed two impactful projects for Smart India Hackathon (SIH) 2024-BinGo, a smart waste management system designed to improve collection efficiency, and ResQ, an accident detection and response system that alerts authorities in real time. Both projects successfully qualified for the internal round, and BinGo has since been granted a provisional patent, underscoring the team’s commitment to developing innovative, practical, and scalable solutions.

RnC was also among the seven winners of IIT Bombay’s National Level Open Hardware IoT Geospatial Hackathon, and participated in IIT Bombay Techfest 2024, securing a top 8 rank in Meshmerize and competing in Cosmoclench. The team went on to participate in BITS Goa Quark 2025 and achieved outstanding performances at the TechnoXian World Robotics Championship 2025, ranking among the top 10 in the Fastest Line Follower and top 15 in Micromouse categories. During Vedanth 14.0 at Techtatva 2024, RnC secured first place for BinGo and won Best Story/Film for its dual-mode drone project. Additionally, the team earned third place at IIIT Delhi and second place at NIT Surathkal in their respective Line Follower Competitions.

A defining moment in RnC’s journey was its qualification as the only Indian team to reach the finals of RoboCup 2024, held in the Netherlands, with its project M.U.C (Multipurpose Universal Chassis) - a warehouse automation robot equipped with a robotic arm to autonomously transport and handle boxes, significantly reducing manual intervention. The team continues to expand its research footprint through ongoing projects like F.A.L.C.O.N, a dual-mode drone capable of operating seamlessly on both land and air.

Beyond competitions and research, RnC has become a thriving innovation ecosystem, fostering entrepreneurship among its members. Four startups have been founded by its alumni -TIF Labs, IRA Design and Solutions Pvt. Ltd., Robocraze, and KrishiBot - each carrying forward the spirit of innovation and technical excellence nurtured within the team. RnC also takes pride in its journal and conference publication, reflecting its dedication to contributing to academic research alongside practical innovation.

Faculty Advisor:

Prof. Jonathan Monteiro

Department of Mechanical & Industrial Engineering

jonathan.m@manipal.edu

Robotics and Circuits Team Leaders 2025 – 26

1.         Aayushi Gupta (Team Leader)

2.         Shashank Sunil Rao (Team Manager)

Team Email ids:

rnc.mit@manipal.edu

roboticsandcircuits.mit@gmail.com

Founded in 2023, Project V.ARISE (Virtual and Augmented Reality Interactive Simulation Environment) is the AR/VR center of excellence at MIT, Manipal, dedicated to advancing immersive technologies. As a student-driven initiative, our mission is to develop and apply AR/VR solutions across diverse sectors. In its early journey, the team created virtual simulations for the foundational B.Tech Engineering workshops (Electrical, Mechanical, and Automobile Engineering), collaborated with the Department of Aeronautical Engineering on advanced flight and drone simulators, and initiated a partnership with Kasturba Medical College (KMC) to explore AR/VR in medical education and emergency preparedness.

This year, Project V.ARISE has expanded its scope through innovation-driven projects and national recognition. At the XR Creator Hackathon, the team developed immersive firefighting training with fire propagation, hose dynamics, and multisensory feedback. Alongside this, the team unveiled PhobiaXR, a graduated set of XR scenarios designed for exposure therapy, integrating adaptive difficulty and biofeedback to help individuals safely overcome common phobias. These efforts earned the team a place among the Top 40 in India in both the Educational Transformation and Healthcare tracks at BharatXR.

The team is also working on an interactive XR project aimed at enhancing social and sensory skills for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), with a patent currently in progress for its unique approach. In addition, Project V.ARISE conducted hands-on workshops on XR fundamentals and advanced topics, training over 60 participants, and integrated performance analytics into simulators to enable personalized feedback and data-driven optimization. The team also showcased its vision and innovations to wider audiences and potential investors at the Manipal Entrepreneurship Summit.

Faculty Advisor:

Dr.Hareesha K.S

International Centre for Applied Sciences

hareesh.ks@manipal.edu

Project V.ARISE Team Leaders, 2025 - 26:

1.Parth Verma (Team Leader)

2.Sia Sachin Nadkarni (Team Manager)

Team Mail ids:

projectvarise.mit@manipal.edu

projectvarise.mit@gmail.com

R.U.G.V.E.D Systems (Remote Unmanned Ground Vehicular Electronic Defense Systems), founded in 2017, is a multidisciplinary team of passionate undergraduates from Computer Science, Electronics, Mechatronics, and Mechanical Engineering. The team develops indigenous robotics solutions for military and defense applications powered by Artificial Intelligence—spanning information gathering, logistics, search and rescue, ordnance disposal, and combat operations.The team has achieved strong results on national and international platforms, with recent highlights including an A* paper at the NeurIPS 2024 Self-Supervised Learning Workshop on Dental Radiograph Segmentation, two papers at the CVPR 2025 – CV4Animals Workshop on Animal Track Classification and IncepDeHazeGAN (introducing the AnimalHaze3K synthetic dataset), and a paper at the ACCV 2024 – CV4 Developing Countries Workshop proposing IncepDeHazeGAN for image dehazing. Their work on AI in Aerospace Engineering was also published in The Aeronautical Journal (Q2, 2025).

Notable achievements include 10th place at E-Yantra (IIT Bombay), an international rank in the OpenCV AI Competition (2023–24), winning the AI For Change Hackathon (2024), and 7th place nationally at BITS Goa’s Line Following Robot event. Earlier accolades include 1st place at Pragyaan Fusion Hackathon (NIT Trichy, 2021), Covideate (IIT Bombay, 2020), Def Hacks Global 2.0 (2020), and TATA Makerthon, as well as 8th rank globally at IGVC, USA (2018).The team has produced 1 journal and 5 conference publications, and one of its alumni founded the startup Amigo.

Faculty Advisors:

1.Dr. Kartik Rao

 Department of Mechatronics Engineering

 rao.karthik@manipal.edu

2.Dr. Neeraj Dewangan

 Department of Mechatronics Engineering

 niraj.dewangan@manipal.edu

R.U.G.V.E.D Systems Team Leaders (2025–26)

1.  G Parikshith (Team Leader and Technical Head)

2.  Ayush Mishra (Team Manager)

Team Email ids:

rugved.mit@gmail.com

management.rugved@gmail.com

Manipal BioMachines, established in 2019, is a multi-disciplinary student project with

aspiring undergraduates of the first official Synthetic Biology and International Genetically Engineered Machine Competition (iGEM) team from MAHE. The main objective of the team lies in combining engineering principles with fundamental biology. Every year, teams get engaged in designing, building, testing, and characterizing a genetically engineered system that can be operated to solve real-world problems. In 2020, the team marked its entry into iGEM to showcase its research and inventions. In 2020 and 2021, the team won a gold medal and a bronze medal, respectively. The team was among 173 Gold Medal winners, out of 350 teams that participated, during iGEM 2022 held in Paris, in October 2022. The team was among the 5 nominees selected for the Best Track prize of the 23 teams participating in the Food and Nutrition track at the competition. The team won $ 2500 in the iGEM Impact Grant event during 2021 & 2022. The team won a 2500 $ iGEM impact grant during July 2023 and participated in the iGEM – 2023 event in Paris, France, from 2nd – 5th November 2023 & was one of the gold medal-winning teams. The team participated in the Global Open Genetic Engineering Competition 2024 (GoGEC ’24), earned the Gold Medal and received recognition for Best Human-Centered Design, Best Project Value, and the coveted title of Best Experimental Project, making the team the only one to achieve this distinction this year. Additionally, at the All India iGEM Meet 2024, hosted by the Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru, the team was honored with the Best Human Practices Award, further showcasing its commitment to excellence and innovation. The team has 8 journals and 1 conference publication to its credit, so far.

Faculty Advisor:

Dr. Ritu Raval

Department of Biotechnology

ritu.raval@manipal.edu

Manipal BioMachines Team Leaders, 2025 -26:

1.         Akshay Arun Prasath (Team Leader)

2.         Shivam Mohite (Team Manager)

Team Mail IDs:

manipalbiomachines@manipal.edu

manipalbiomachines.igem@gmail.com

LoopMIT, established in 2019, is the official Hyperloop team of MIT Manipal. The Hyperloop is a proposed fifth mode of transportation that aims to achieve near-supersonic speeds through magnetic levitation in low-pressure tubes, combining the efficiency of railways with the speed of aviation. LoopMIT focuses on designing, developing, and testing technologies that bring this concept closer to reality. The team is currently working on developing a magnetic levitation module for its next-generation pod. In 2025, LoopMIT secured 1st place at the Global Hyperloop Competition (GHC 2025) hosted at IIT Madras, along with the award for Best Mechanical Subsystem. GHC 2025 was the first Indian hyperloop competition and has paved the way for many more in the future. The team also achieved 1st place at VIT Elevate 2025, a research-oriented competition organized by VIT Vellore. LoopMIT has also qualified for the higher rounds of the prestigious European Hyperloop Week Competition for the past few years, and this year is hopeful to participate. Through innovation, teamwork, and technical excellence, LoopMIT continues to push the boundaries of next-generation transportation technology. LoopMIT has filed 3 patents primarily focused on the mechanical and propulsion systems of a hyperloop pod.

Faculty Advisors:

1-         Dr. I. Thirunavukkarasu

Department of Instrumentation & Control Engineering

it.arasu@manipal.edu

2-         Dr. Subash Acharya

Department of Mechanical & Industrial Engineering

subash.acharya@manipal.edu

LoopMIT Team Leaders 2025-26:

1.         Dhairya Kumar Berry (Team Leader)

2.         Daniel George Konat (Team Manager)

LoopMIT Mail id:

Loopmit2019@gmail.com

loopmitmanagement@gmail.com

Project AUV Manipal, founded in 2019, is an underwater robotics and research student team with a common interest in exploring the field of underwater robotics. The team aims to conceptualize, design, and fabricate Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROVs) and Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUVs) for both research and competitive purposes. The team secured 4^th Position Overall at the UWR Challenges International Finals, held at Khalifa University, Abu Dhabi as part of IROS 2024, 14-18 October 2024. The team was also awarded the “Gulf Stream Award” for the Best Technical Pitch and Indigenous Design by the Global Innovation and Entrepreneurship Company at IROS 2024.The team is currently working on a new prototype vehicle capable of both ROV and AUV equipped with precision sensors, stereo mapping, object detection and tracking and other advanced features for marine applications. This will compete with the best international teams participating at TAC Challenge, Norway to be held during May-June 2025.

Faculty Advisors:

1.   Dr. Shivashankarayya Hiremath
Department of Mechatronics Engineering
ss.hiremath@manipal.edu

2.   Dr. Balbir Singh
Department of Aeronautical & Automobile Engineering
balbir.s@manipal.edu

3.   Lt. Dundesh Shivalingappa Chiniwar
Department of Mechatronics Engineering
dundesh.sc@manipal.edu

Team Mail ids.:

projectauvm@manipal.edu

projectauv.mit@gmail.com

Team Combat Robotics (TCR) is MIT Manipal’s official battle-bots team, founded in 2018 and now one of MAHE’s most competitive and rapidly advancing technical student projects. The team designs, builds, and combat-tests high-performance 8 kg and 15 kg battle bots, specializing in offensive weapon systems engineered for precision, reliability, and maximum impact.TCR has built a strong national presence with consistent results, including Winners at NITK Surathkal 2024, Top 3 at BITS Goa 2024, and multiple Top 4 finishes at NITK Surathkal 2025 and TechTatva Robowars ’25. Beyond competitions, the team is also aligned to contribute significantly to innovation and research within MAHE, exploring advanced chassis design, motor control and stability systems, and is also actively involved in filing patents for innovative combat-robotics equipment. Team Combat Robotics stands as a symbol of practical engineering, hands-on technical development, and the growing combat robotics culture within MIT Manipal. 

Faculty Advisor:

Dr. Suhas Kowshik 

Assistant Professor(Senior Scale) 

Department of Industrial and Mechanical Engineering 

suhas.kowshik@manipal.edu 

Team Combat Robotics Team Leaders, 2025–26:

1.   Hardik Patel (Team Lead) 

2.   Anirudh Kamath (Team Manager) 

Team Mail id:

tcr.mit@manipal.edu 

Cryptonite, founded in 2018 under the guidance of Dr. Nisha P Shetty, Cryptonite is MIT Manipal’s premier student-led cybersecurity and ethical hacking team. We are a community of passionate learners and problem solvers dedicated to exploring the landscape of cybersecurity.

At our core, we believe in learning by doing, fostering a hands-on environment where curiosity meets skill development. Our major areas of focus include exploring cutting- edge exploits, reverse-engineering everyday tools analyzing encryption schemes, and diving into hardware hacking, all while mastering the latest techniques in both hardware and software security through CTFs, weekly training meetups and research.

niteCTF is our flagship jeopardy-style Capture The Flag(CTF) competition designed for students and professionals with a keen interest in cybersecurity. It serves as a platform for aspiring cybersecurity professionals to challenge themselves, exchange ideas, and push the boundaries of innovation. With 1100+ teams tackling a series of thoughtfully curated challenges, niteCTF 2024, sponsored by IIT Bombay Trust Lab and Google Cloud, achieved outstanding success.

The team participates in Multiple Cybersecurity Challenges Nationally and Internationally and excels in them

Our Most notable Achievements have been:

1. 1st Place iņ Smart India Hackathon 2023

2. 1st Place in Smart India Hackathon 2024

3. 2nd Place in Cyber Crime Conclave Hackathon Bengaluru

4. 1st Place in NCIIPC-AICTE Pentathon'25

5. Qualified for CSAW-ESC 2025

Faculty Advisor:

Dr. Nisha P Shetty

School of Computer Engineering

nisha.pshetty@manipal.edu

Cryptonite Leaders, 2025 -26:

1. Barri Harshith (Team Leader)

2. Satwik Shreshtha (Team Manager)

3. Madhav Menon (Cryptography Head)

Team Email id:

cryptonite.mit@manipal.edu

Project DronAid was founded in 2017 as a unique collaboration between students of Manipal Institute of Technology and Kasturba Medical College, with the vision of making healthcare more accessible and efficient in India. The project integrates artificial intelligence (AI), unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), and app development to build a connected healthcare network and enable practical clinical applications, particularly in accident response and community-level emergency services.

The team has actively participated in several national and international competitions, achieving remarkable milestones:

• IMechE UAS Challenge 2024, BMFA Buckminster, UK (1–4 July 2024): Out of 38 international teams, DronAid’s fixed-wing aircraft model secured 1st place in Design Implementation, 3rd in Asia, 5th in Business Case, and 22nd globally.

• IMechE UAS Challenge 2023, UK (26–29 June 2023): Out of 40 teams, the team placed 24th overall, 16th in Flight Readiness, 20th in X-plane model, and 19th in Flight Demonstration.

• TechnoXian WDRC 2022, New Delhi (Aug 2022): Secured 2nd place out of 200 teams and won a cash prize of ₹25,000.

• Vayurvya Rotor Craft Multirotor Competition, NMAMIT, Nitte (9–10 Feb 2024): Achieved 2nd place with a cash prize of ₹50,000.

• Startup Expo, IIT Guwahati (23 Jan 2024): Won a cash prize of ₹50,000.

• Student Expo, Manipal University Jaipur (1 Oct 2023): Awarded 1st Runner-up and a cash prize of ₹5,000.

• Technovanza 2023 Startup Pitching, Mangalore (11 Nov 2023): Ranked among the Top 10 startups.

• MIT Quadrangle Demonstration: Successfully showcased autonomous drug delivery using UAVs.

• Vayurvya Competition, Nitte Karkala: Achieved 1st Runner-up position.

• Quark, BITS Goa: Secured 2nd Runner-up position.

Through these achievements, Project DronAid continues to grow as a pioneering initiative that combines cutting-edge UAV technology with healthcare innovation, aiming to bring life-saving solutions closer to communities.

Faculty Advisor:

Dr. Manikandan M

Department of Aeronautical & Automobile Engineering manikandan.m@manipal.edu

DronAid Team Leaders, 2025 - 26:

1.     Tushar  Bhat (Technical Head)

2.    Aarya Singh (Team Manager)

Team Mail ids:

dronaid@manipal.edu

dronaid.care@gmail.com

SWARM Robotics, (Smart Wireless Autonomous Robotics Manipal) was established in 2017, to make a collective of multiple autonomous entities which are virtually independent of each other but interact and communicate with each other to reach a common goal, which may be simple tasks like mapping an unknown environment or complex tasks like performing search and rescue tasks in high-risk environments, hereby reducing the risk to human life. In BITS Pilani Goa's QUARK fest during 16 – 18 Feb. 2024. team stood 1st Position. In Regatta 2.0 by IIT Bombay, Autodesk & DRDO27 - 30, during June 2024 team won Autodesk award & cash prize Rs. 10000Currently the team is working on helium airship & advanced sensors and drivers being used by the team as a test bench for research in the field of autonomous swarms with a focus to make them more efficient and faster. The team has 3 conference publications to its credit, so far. Team alumni has a start-up namely Mirage.

Faculty Advisors:

1. Dr. Jeane Marina D'Souza Department of Mechatronics

jeane.dsouza@manipal.edu

2. Dr.Ramya S Moorthy, Department of Mechatronics

ramya.moorthy@manipal.edu

S.W.A.R.M ROBOTICS Team Leaders, 2025 - 26:

1.    Naghul Pranav (Team Leader)

2.    Greeshma (Team Manager) 

Team Mail id:

swarm@manipal.edu

Team Karting Manipal, founded in 2022, is the official Go-kart team in Manipal Institute of Technology. Team Karting Manipal aims to conceptualize, design, and manufacture a Go-Kart. In its first season, team will be taking part in the Indian Karting Race organized by the Imperial Society of Innovative Engineers at the Buddh International Circuit in Delhi. In the Formula Kart Design Challenge Season-8, hosted at Kari Motor Speedways, Coimbatore, the CV team achieved 2nd position in Sales Presentation. Team Karting EV participated in the same event and secured 1st Position in Sales Presentation, 2nd Position in Design Evaluation and 4^th position overall. Team Karting Manipal takes pride in ensuring that the students get hands-on, real-world experience to practically apply the knowledge they gain in the classrooms. Team participated in the Indian Karting Race (IKR) 2023 event held at  Buddh International Circuit, Noida, during October 2023 & stood Overall 4th in CV category, out of 26 teams. It also stood 1st in Design, 2nd in Business Plan and Cost Report & 2nd in Weight Test. In 2024, the team started its electric kart too.

Faculty Advisors:

1.     Dr. Arun Kumar H.S (For Combustion Team)

Department of Mechanical & Industrial Engineering

arunkumar.hs@manipal.edu

2.     Prof. D A P Prabhakar (For Electric Team)

Department of Mechatronics Engineering

pavan.prabhakar@manipal.edu

Team Karting Manipal Team Leaders, 2025 - 26:

CV Team:

1.    Purav Sharda (Team leader)

2.     Nabhya Samraksh (Team Manager)

EV Team:

1.    Purav Sharda (Team leader)

2.     Nabhya Samraksh (Team Manager)

Team Mail ids:

teamkarting.mit@manipal.edu

teamkarting.mit@gmail.com

Project Kalpana, started in 2023, is the only astronomy-based student project team that aims to design a radio telescope with the ability to detect and analyze radio emissions from Jupiter, Sun and hydrogen emissions from the Milky Way. The project has five domains - Mechanical, Automation, Electronics, Research and Development, and Management. The Mechanical domain is responsible for the structure and operation of the antenna and mount. Automation subsystem designs software algorithms and control systems to automate telescope operations. Electronics subsystem designs, constructs, and tests electronic components to operate the telescope and analyze data. Research and Development subsystem explores ideas and compiles observations into research papers. Management subsystem supervises project functioning, fulfils needs and oversees web development, graphics, and finance tasks. Project Kalpana is an excellent opportunity for students to gain valuable experience in real-world projects in astronomy, electronics, and mechanical engineering.  

Faculty Advisor:

Dr.Pramod Kumar Shetty 

Department of Physics 

pramod.shetty@manipal.edu 

Project Kalpana Team Leaders, 2025 - 26:

1.    Sheldon Rodricks (Operations Head) 

2.    Dhruva Goyal (Operations Head) 

Team Mail ids:

projectkalpana.mit@manipal.edu 

projectkalpana.mit@gmail.com