IIIT-Dharwad team Icarus places 4th at ISRO Robotics Challenge ₹2L
Seven members from Team Icarus of IIIT-Dharwad just scored fourth place at the 2026 ISRO Robotics Challenge, announced during National Space Day in Ahmedabad.
They stood out among 20 teams and took home a ₹2 lakh prize for their efforts.
Team Icarus drone navigates without GPS
Team Icarus built an autonomous quadcopter designed to handle Mars-like conditions: no GPS needed.
Their drone uses visual-inertial and optical-flow navigation to find targets, complete missions, and return on its own.
Professor of Practice Mallikarjun Kande guided the team through the development and preparation phases, while Director S.R. Mahadeva Prasanna said their achievement reflected their technical expertise, perseverance, teamwork, and innovation and demonstrated their capabilities in autonomous robotics, aerial systems and technologies relevant to future space exploration.