Biomimetic AUV: DRDO’s Fish-Inspired Step Toward Smarter Underwater Defence Robotics

DRDO’s Biomimetic Autonomous Underwater Vehicle represents an important direction in India’s naval robotics journey. The system belongs to a new generation of underwater platforms inspired by the movement, shape and hydrodynamic efficiency of marine life. A two-day workshop and live demonstration of the Biomimetic AUV was conducted on 3–4 February 2026 under the DRDO–Naval Research Board, where its design features, operational capabilities and naval applications were showcased. The vehicle was developed through a collaborative team from IIT Kharagpur, IIT Madras, IISc Bengaluru, DRDO’s Naval Science & Technological Laboratory and Naval Physical & Oceanographic Laboratory, with funding support from the Naval Research Board.

The idea behind a biomimetic AUV is simple and powerful: the ocean already contains highly efficient underwater designs. Fish, tuna, rays, dolphins and whales move through water with efficiency, agility and reduced disturbance. Biomimetics translates such natural engineering into mechanical systems. IIT Madras describes biomimetic AUVs as platforms that mimic aquatic creatures for high propulsive efficiency, silent operation, fewer wake signatures and strong manoeuvrability.

For naval operations, these qualities matter deeply. Underwater vehicles operate in a domain shaped by silence, pressure, currents, turbulence, darkness and sensor limitations. A biomimetic propulsion system can help an underwater robot move with lower acoustic and hydrodynamic signatures. This makes the platform valuable for missions where stealth, endurance and close-area movement are important, especially around harbours, seabed infrastructure, coastal approaches and contested waters.

The DRDO-linked Biomimetic AUV also shows how India is connecting academic research with deployable naval technologies. The Naval Research Board was created to support basic and applied research directly relevant to future naval systems, and its panels cover areas such as hydrodynamics, sonar and signal behaviour, ocean environment, marine systems and hydro-vibro-acoustics. This structure makes the Biomimetic AUV a product of India’s wider naval science ecosystem rather than a single laboratory effort.

The defence value of such a platform begins with underwater surveillance. A fish-inspired AUV can patrol sensitive waters, inspect underwater objects, map seabed features and observe movement in areas where manned assets are expensive or risky to deploy. Its compact form and agile movement can support missions in harbours, shallow coastal waters, naval bases, island territories and offshore energy zones. India’s maritime geography makes this especially relevant because the country has long coastlines, island chains, naval facilities, subsea cables, ports and offshore infrastructure requiring persistent underwater awareness.

A second major use case is mine countermeasure support. Naval mines remain among the most serious threats to ports, shipping lanes and amphibious operations. DRDO has already developed man-portable autonomous underwater vehicles for mine countermeasure missions through NSTL, with side-scan sonar and underwater cameras for real-time detection and classification of mine-like objects. These MP-AUVs also use onboard deep-learning target-recognition algorithms and underwater acoustic communication for inter-AUV data exchange.

The Biomimetic AUV can strengthen this same operational philosophy through a more natural movement profile. Mine hunting requires careful navigation near the seabed, stable sensor placement, controlled movement and reliable data collection. A biomimetic platform with efficient manoeuvring can support detailed inspection in cluttered underwater environments. In future configurations, such vehicles can work with sonar payloads, optical cameras, magnetic sensors, acoustic modems and AI-assisted object recognition.

The system also has relevance for anti-sabotage and harbour defence. Modern naval bases face threats from diver delivery vehicles, underwater drones, limpet mines and covert reconnaissance devices. A biomimetic AUV can act as a mobile inspection asset inside harbour waters, around piers, near anchored ships and along underwater perimeter zones. The ability to move quietly and operate close to structures gives such a vehicle potential value in layered naval-base security.

The technology is also useful for seabed warfare awareness. Modern naval competition increasingly extends to subsea cables, pipelines, sensor arrays, seabed nodes and underwater communication systems. AUVs can inspect, monitor and map this hidden infrastructure. Biomimetic movement can support delicate inspection tasks around cables, hulls, piers and offshore platforms because the vehicle’s motion can be designed for stability and controlled manoeuvring.

From a design perspective, biomimetic AUVs require deep work in hydrodynamics, actuation, control algorithms, energy management and sensor integration. IIT Madras research on a thunniform fish-type AUV studied a lunate tail fin as the main propulsor and examined oscillation frequency, phase, amplitude and fin aspect ratio to optimise performance. Such studies are essential because a fish-like vehicle needs coordinated body-fin movement rather than simple straight-line propulsion.

The 2026 DRDO demonstration also matters because it placed the Biomimetic AUV within a serious defence innovation pathway. DRDO’s newsletter described the event as a platform for academia–DRDO collaboration, technical knowledge sharing and showcasing indigenous engineering capability. Senior DRDO officials at the workshop highlighted the strategic importance of biomimetic systems for future naval applications and the role of sustained academic research in addressing complex naval challenges.

The larger picture is clear. India is building an underwater robotics stack that includes man-portable AUVs for mine countermeasures, larger autonomous underwater systems, sonar technologies, underwater communication methods, deep-learning target recognition and now biomimetic vehicle designs. Each layer adds a different capability. Mine-countermeasure AUVs bring operational utility. Biomimetic platforms bring stealthy movement and manoeuvrability. Naval laboratories bring sensors and mission systems. Academic teams bring hydrodynamic modelling, actuation concepts and control science.

For the Indian Navy, the long-term promise lies in networked underwater autonomy. Future naval operations may involve multiple AUVs moving through different depths, sharing acoustic data, mapping routes, detecting suspicious objects, inspecting hulls, scanning mine-like contacts and feeding information into command centres. DRDO Chairman Dr Samir V. Kamat described the MP-AUV programme as a step toward deployable, intelligent and networked mine-countermeasure solutions, with reduced operational risk and smaller logistic footprint for naval mine warfare.

The Biomimetic AUV should be viewed as a foundational technology demonstrator with strong future potential. Its immediate importance lies in proving indigenous competence in bio-inspired underwater robotics. Its deeper significance lies in preparing India for a maritime environment where unmanned systems will become routine companions to ships, submarines, divers, harbour patrol units and mine-warfare teams.

India’s maritime security priorities are expanding across the Indian Ocean, Arabian Sea, Bay of Bengal, island territories and critical sea lanes. Underwater awareness will become as important as surface surveillance and aerial reconnaissance. DRDO’s Biomimetic AUV gives India a promising route into quieter, smarter and more agile underwater robotics, shaped by nature and engineered for naval advantage.

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