Brac University students have made it to the final of an international underwater rover competition with a low-budget and self-made autonomous underwater vehicle “Duburi”, says a press release.

The team is in the final 15 of Singapore Autonomous Underwater Vehicle Competition (SAUVC), organised by IEEE and OES (Oceanic Engineering Society), in Singapore.

According to SAUVC website, the winner, from among 15 finalist countries including China, Singapore, Hong Kong, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, and India was scheduled to be announced at a programme last night.

SAUVC is organised every year with the help of National University of Singapore (NUS) & Singapore Polytechnics.

“BracU Duburi” is believed to be Bangladesh's first-ever autonomous underwater vehicle to have participated in an international competition abroad.

According to its makers, “Duburi”, a wireless underwater rover, performs autonomously once it is submerged into the water and transmission of start signal. It uses image processing and some reverse engineered waterproof sensors for stabilising its movement.

Brac University Associate Professor Dr Khalilur Rahman, advisor to the project, told The Daily Star that his team would have done much better if they got their hands on professional tools. The students had little opportunity to test out the rover as there is a shortage of swimming pools in Dhaka, he added.

Adnan Sabbir, the team leader, told The Daily Star that such rover can be of great help for preserving water bodies, examining the water condition of rivers and much more in Bangladesh, a land that is filled with river bodies and wetlands.

The team includes Rahatul Amin Ananto, Sakib Ahmed Sumdany and Shayantan Arko.

Previously, Brac University students made Bangladesh's first Nano satellite “Brac Onnesha” and the country's first Mars rover “Mongol Tori”, and lunar excavator “Chondrobot” -- all of which received wide acclamation.