IIT Madras has inaugurated a Rs 3.30-crore robotics laboratory in Chennai to develop automation and technology solutions for challenges in the construction and infrastructure sectors, with support from Bechtel India Private Limited.
The laboratory has been established through corporate social responsibility support from Bechtel India as part of a long-term industry-academia collaboration. The partnership will focus on construction robotics, automation and advanced construction technologies, while creating opportunities for research, testing and technology demonstrations based on Bechtel’s engineering, procurement and construction expertise.
The initiative is intended to connect academic research with real-world construction requirements. According to IIT Madras, the collaboration will support joint research, consulting and technology development. Projects may result in research publications, patents, prototypes and demonstrations for industry applications.
“Industry-academia partnerships play a pivotal role in advancing research and innovation, especially in niche domains such as robotics and automation in construction,” said Prof Ashwin Mahalingam, Dean (Alumni and Corporate Relations), IIT Madras.
“Our partnership with Bechtel will enable IIT Madras to address industry-relevant challenges in construction robotics and automation, while creating opportunities to test, demonstrate and take promising technologies closer to deployment,” he said.
The laboratory will provide a shared space for IIT Madras students and faculty, along with industry engineers, to work on construction-related automation. Bechtel India Managing Director Raja Yeluri said the partnership would help turn real construction challenges into automated solutions and support the development of talent required by the sector.
The memorandum of understanding was signed by Mahalingam, IIT Madras faculty members Prof T Asokan and Prof Koshy Varghese, who will lead the laboratory, Bechtel India Managing Director Raja Yeluri and Ravi Tata, Robotics Manager, Bechtel India.
Under the collaboration, Bechtel will provide industry inputs for curriculum development, facilitate professional mentorship and explore internship opportunities for selected candidates. The arrangement is also expected to give students, including master’s candidates, hands-on exposure to emerging robotics technologies and construction applications.
The partnership has been envisaged as a five- to 10-year collaboration. Its stated focus is to move promising construction robotics technologies from research and testing towards industry demonstrations and potential deployment. The next phase will involve joint research, consulting and technology-development activities between IIT Madras and Bechtel India.
