General overview

BRACU Duburi Version 1 is the first ever Autonomous Underwater Vehicle built by undergraduate students of Bangladesh. It was a milestone achievement for BRAC University and the students of Bangladesh as it overcame tight limitations in resources and facilities as well relative inexperience in this field to achieve remarkable success on an international stage. The chief principle behind Version 1’s design was to achieve great functionality at very low cost through creative use of the cheap materials available to Duburi’s founders. Duburi Version 1 achieved excellent buoyancy by utilizing PVC pipes for its hull and core design, which made it very lightweight and waterproof at low cost. Given the low budget, the founders also custom-built the thrusters using brushless DC motors and 3D printed housing. Furthermore, they reverse-engineered expensive water-pressure sensors using more affordable air-pressure sensors and a pressure chamber constructed with a rubber balloon.Despite the lack of testing facilities, the Version 1 team went to great lengths to scout out available pools and suitable water-bodies for testing. This was an extremely difficult challenge, through great dedication and effort, they got Duburi Version 1 to function perfectly. It was this perseverance and endless problem-solving that Duburi Version 1 came to life and participated in SUVAC 2018. It is of no surprise that the hard work that went behind Version 1 was recognized by the judges, and they awarded us the 7th Positon amongst all participating teams. This inspiring tale of passion, hard work and glory inspires us to continue working on Duburi to this day.

2018 CDR video