The SUAS @ IIT Madras team brings together talented students and faculty from diverse backgrounds in engineering, computer science, and business. Our multidisciplinary approach allows us to tackle the complex challenges of designing and building advanced unmanned aerial systems.
The Curious Minds
Advisors
Our esteemed advisors provide guidance, expertise, and mentorship to our team, helping us navigate challenges and achieve our goals.
Sponsorship, Business & Media Team
The team is responsible for securing financial and operational resources to support engineering modules across all phases—development, fabrication, travel, and more. We build strategic partnerships with stakeholders who contribute financially, in-kind, or through advisory support. Alongside handling legal compliance and internal process management, we also manage media responsibilities such as producing the FRR video and other promotional or documentation content to represent the team’s vision and progress.
Object Detection, Classification and Localization Team
The Object Detection, Classification, and Localization (ODCL) team develops real-time algorithms for detecting, classifying, and locating markers used for payload delivery. This includes identifying marker shape, color, and characters, estimating 3D positions, and integrating with drone navigation and obstacle avoidance systems. The team ensures reliable performance across environments while optimizing for computational efficiency.
Airframes and Structure Team
AFR vertical focuses on creating robust, lightweight, and aerodynamically efficient structures for an autonomous UAV. We are responsible for designing the physical framework of the UAV, ensuring it can withstand various flight conditions and payload requirements. This includes selecting materials that provide optimal strength-to-weight ratios and developing a modular design that allows for easy maintenance and upgrades.
Payload Delivery System Team
The Payload Delivery System (PDS) develops a multi-phase aerial deployment mechanism for accurate in-flight or hover-mode payload delivery. It involves trajectory modeling, guidance control, and environmental factor analysis to optimize delivery accuracy. The system is designed for seamless integration with UAV subsystems and can operate autonomously or via remote control.
Autonomous Navigation and Communication Team
Autonomous Navigation and Communications ANC aims to engineer highly efficient autonomous flight algorithms, collision avoidance algorithms and develop an exceptionally reliable and secure communication framework that interconnects the UAV with the Ground Control Station, Autopilot, and onboard Computer Systems. We strive to achieve seamless coordination between autonomous navigation, obstacle avoidance, aerial imaging, and precise payload delivery, ensuring superior performance and innovation in every mission task.