The Indian Institute of Technology Bhubaneswar has partnered with Odisha-based Coratia Technologies Private Limited to build advanced underwater communication systems and robotic platforms.
The collaboration aims to address technological hurdles in marine environments where radio-frequency signals fail to travel efficiently.
IIT Bhubaneswar brings expertise in underwater acoustic communication and signal processing, while Coratia Technologies designs and develops unmanned underwater vehicles.
The agreement was signed on Friday to bridge the gap between laboratory research and industry-ready solutions for India’s strategic and maritime requirements.
Acoustic Communication Challenges
Underwater communication relies heavily on acoustic technologies because radio waves degrade rapidly beneath the surface.
Factors such as signal attenuation, ambient noise, multipath propagation, and changing water conditions affect the reliability and speed of data transmission.
The two organizations plan to combine advances in acoustic communication with practical requirements from underwater robotic operations to address these operational hurdles.
They will also work on integrating advanced communication modules with underwater vehicles to enable reliable data exchange during missions.
Applications in Defense and Infrastructure
The partnership envisions joint technology development, prototyping, testing, and field validation to accelerate indigenous systems into deployable assets.
Potential applications include the inspection and monitoring of critical underwater infrastructure such as dams, bridges, ports, pipelines, and offshore installations.
Other areas of focus involve defense and security, marine exploration, disaster management, and scientific research.
Reliable communication and autonomous systems remain essential for monitoring submerged infrastructure and collecting oceanographic data where human intervention is hazardous.
Coratia Technologies Partners with IIT Bhubaneswar for Underwater Research
We look forward to contributing to India’s growing underwater technology ecosystem,” said Debendra Pradhan, co-founder and CEO of Coratia Technologies.
The collaboration will explore joint participation in research programs sponsored by the government, defense establishments, and industry.
Coratia Technologies previously signed a tripartite technology licensing agreement with the National Institute of Ocean Technology and the National Research Development Corporation for an autonomous underwater profiling drifter.
The ocean-monitoring technology measures temperature, salinity, and depth at depths of up to 2,000 meters to support ocean observation.
Coratia Technologies develops indigenous remotely operated vehicles and autonomous marine systems for underwater visual inspection, sonar surveys, bathymetry, non-destructive testing, and structural assessment.
The collaboration provides a long-term research framework extending beyond specific technology development projects to include joint research initiatives and shared access to testing facilities.
