IIT Bombay Excels at European Rover Challenge 2025, Bags 2nd Place Globally in Remote Formula

In yet another stellar performance on the global stage, the IIT Bombay Mars Rover Team has secured second place in the prestigious European Rover Challenge (ERC) 2025 - Remote Formula, competing against more than 20 top international teams from across the globe.

The European Rover Challenge, Europe’s largest international Mars rover competition, was held in Poland and featured participation from 25 teams representing over 30 countries, including Spain, Germany, the UK, Italy, India, and Egypt. The event is a platform for cutting-edge innovations in robotics and space technology, attracting top universities and experts from around the world.

IIT Bombay’s rover impressed the jury with its autonomous exploration and navigation framework, designed by the team’s Autonomous & Software subdivision. Leveraging ROS middleware integrated with the Unity simulation platform, the framework enabled the rover to perform tasks such as terrain mapping, object detection, obstacle avoidance, and autonomous decision-making in a simulated Mars environment.

This achievement underscores IIT Bombay’s growing expertise in autonomous robotics, with applications extending to self-driving vehicles, drone reconnaissance, and warehouse automation. The team credited their Faculty Advisor, Professor PJ Guruprasad, for his invaluable mentorship and guidance throughout the project.

The ERC 2025’s top three positions were claimed by Sapienza Technology Team (Italy), IIT Bombay Mars Rover Team (India), and CRISS Robotics (Poland) respectively.

With a legacy spanning over a decade, the IITB Mars Rover Team - comprising more than 40 engineering students - continues to push the boundaries of innovation. Their consistent performances, including the Excellence Award in Navigation at ERC 2022, affirm IIT Bombay’s place among the global leaders in space robotics and exploration technology.