BRAC University's underwater robotics research team, BRACU Duburi, has qualified two autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) for the semi-finals of RoboSub 2026, becoming one of only two teams worldwide to advance more than one vehicle to the next stage of the international competition.

The team said its two vehicles, Duburi 4.5 and DuboMini 2.0, secured semi-final places after organisers completed the technical evaluation process.

Organised annually in the United States by RoboNation, RoboSub brings together university teams developing autonomous underwater vehicles capable of completing complex tasks without direct human control. The competition requires participants to design, build and programme underwater robots that rely on sensors, computer vision, artificial intelligence, navigation systems and embedded software to operate independently.

As part of the qualification process, teams submit technical documentation detailing vehicle design, software architecture, testing procedures and operational readiness. Entries are evaluated on both the technical performance of the systems and their preparedness for the competition.

Duburi 4.5 is BRACU Duburi's primary competition vehicle and the latest version of a platform that has been refined through successive generations of research and development. The team's second vehicle, DuboMini 2.0, is a smaller autonomous platform designed to explore more compact and agile underwater robotic systems. 

The team has previously recorded strong performances at RoboSub. In 2023, it finished as the competition's runner-up and received the Ingenuity Award for engineering innovation. At RoboSub 2025, BRACU Duburi placed eighth globally and received the Entrepreneurship Award.