25 undergrad IITians are building an all-terrain vehicle from scratch, and contending against top technology institutes across the country

25 undergrad IITians are building an all-terrain vehicle from scratch, and contending against top technology institutes across the country

Prithvi II is still on the drawing board but it follows a lineage of cars created on the same IIT Powai campus, like Prithvi 2009, Agni 2009 and the first of this family, Vayu, in 2008.

The car will run in the Baja SAE, an annual race scheduled in Indore on January 28, 2011. The objective is to design, build, test, and race an off-road vehicle that will withstand the rigours of a rough terrain.

Prithvi II isn't the only one. The racing team has 2nd to 5th year automobile-crazy students, most pursuing degrees in mechanical and electrical engineering. It's a driven lot that manages to squeeze in meetings between lectures and lab work.

Following last year's win, they found a sponsor in NRB Bearings, an auto-parts company that funds research for the project. This year, the team has been revamped to have students work on specialised sub-systems of the car.

The latest technology is a Data Acquisition System that collects real-time information on a wireless computer while the vehicle is being operated on the track at a distance one mile away. The technology gathers data from 24 different sensors on the vehicle, nearly 400 times a second. It measures suspension response, exhaust quality and revolutions per minute (RPM).

"We are working on the math modelling of the car, which aims at converting the car into an equation. This way we can modulate the results as per calculations, and predict the car's response," says Pachore.

Other modifications include reducing the weight of the car with the use of special alloys, a lighter chassis and some technological enhancements that are still in the making.

"Once the car is ready, we simulate a track in IIT itself to test its endurance under different conditions," says Captain Vora.u00a0

Pachore says the high point is the unbelievable feeling he experiences every time he looks at the car and thinks, "We made this!"u00a0u00a0

Debuts In: January 2011

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