The Indian Institute of Technology Bhubaneswar and Odisha-based Coratia Technologies Private Limited have signed an agreement to conduct collaborative research and develop advanced underwater communication systems and robotic platforms. The agreement, signed on Friday, November 13, 2026, covers technology with potential applications in defence, maritime security, infrastructure monitoring and ocean exploration. The partnership is also intended to build indigenous systems and bridge the gap between laboratory research and industry-ready solutions in a domain important to India’s strategic and maritime requirements.
IIT Bhubaneswar brings expertise in underwater acoustic communication and signal processing. Coratia Technologies designs and develops unmanned underwater vehicles (UUVs). The two organisations will combine these capabilities to work on systems that can be deployed in real underwater operations rather than remaining confined to research environments.
Acoustic links and robotic integration
A central focus of the collaboration is the development of high-data-rate and robust underwater communication systems. Radio-frequency signals do not travel efficiently through water, which makes acoustic technology the main route for underwater communication. Signal attenuation, ambient noise, multipath propagation and changing underwater conditions can all affect the reliability and speed of data transmission.
The partnership aims to address some of these challenges by combining advances in acoustic communication and signal processing with the practical requirements that arise during underwater robotic operations. The two sides will also work on integrating advanced communication modules with underwater vehicles. This integration is meant to enable more reliable data exchange, monitoring and control during underwater missions.
Underwater missions often require vehicles to send sensor readings, positioning information and operational status to the surface while receiving commands. Stable links can affect how much useful data a mission returns and how closely an operator can supervise an autonomous or remotely operated system. The collaboration will examine how acoustic links perform as conditions change during an operation.
Beyond research and design, the agreement covers joint technology development, prototyping, testing and field validation. These stages are intended to accelerate the transition of indigenous technologies into deployable systems. Improved communication and robotic capability could strengthen the ability of underwater vehicles to carry out inspection, surveillance, data collection and other operations in environments where human intervention is difficult, expensive or potentially hazardous.
The testing and field-validation component is intended to move the work beyond component-level research. Trials can show whether communication modules and vehicle systems operate together under conditions that laboratory tests cannot fully reproduce, a step needed before technologies are used in inspection and surveillance missions.
Infrastructure, defence and ocean research
The technologies developed under the collaboration could be applied to the inspection and monitoring of critical underwater infrastructure, including dams, bridges, ports, pipelines and offshore assets. Other potential areas are defence and security, marine exploration, disaster management and scientific research. Reliable underwater communication and autonomous robotic systems are relevant for monitoring submerged infrastructure, conducting seabed surveys and collecting oceanographic data.
Debendra Pradhan, co-founder and chief executive officer of Coratia Technologies, said advancing India’s underwater technology capabilities requires close collaboration between industry and academia. “Our partnership with IIT Bhubaneswar brings together complementary expertise in underwater communication, signal processing and robotics, creating opportunities to take research beyond the laboratory and towards practical applications,” he said. “We look forward to contributing to India’s growing underwater technology ecosystem.”
The partnership will further explore joint participation in research programmes sponsored by government, defence establishments and industry. Such participation could open avenues for technology development in areas of national strategic importance. The agreement also provides for a longer-term research and knowledge-sharing framework that extends beyond specific technology development projects. The two organisations will explore joint research initiatives, proof-of-concept development and access to testing and prototyping facilities.
Prior work on ocean monitoring
Coratia Technologies has already signed a tripartite technology licensing agreement with the National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT) and the National Research Development Corporation (NRDC) for the autonomous underwater profiling drifter (AUPD). The indigenous ocean-monitoring technology can measure temperature, salinity and depth at depths of up to 2,000 metres. It is designed to support ocean observation and data collection, adding an oceanographic research dimension to the company’s existing work in underwater robotics and inspection systems.
P R Sahu, a professor at IIT Bhubaneswar, said the collaboration would help bring academic research closer to industry requirements in an emerging and strategically important technology domain. “We have been encouraging innovation, facilitating technology development and creating opportunities for students and researchers to engage with real-world challenges by combining research expertise in underwater communication and signal processing with industry capabilities in underwater robotics,” he said.
Coratia Technologies develops indigenous remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) and autonomous marine systems for underwater inspection and intervention across the defence, infrastructure and industrial sectors. Its capabilities include underwater visual inspection, sonar surveys, bathymetry, non-destructive testing, structural assessment and robotic cleaning. Systems designed by the company support the inspection and assessment of submerged infrastructure such as dams, bridges, ports, ships, pipelines and offshore installations, where conventional inspection methods can involve significant operational costs and safety challenges.
