SOURCE: AFI
In a remarkable display of innovation and technical prowess, teams from India’s premier technical institutes have clinched the top positions in the final round of the Swarm Rescue Challenge 24-25, a prestigious international competition jointly organized by the Centre Interdisciplinaire d’Études pour la Défense et la Sécurité (CIEDS) of France and India’s Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO). The event, which concluded on April 1, 2025, saw teams from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras and IIT Hyderabad dominating the leaderboard, securing first, second, and third places respectively.
The Swarm Rescue Challenge, now in its 2024-25 edition, is a cutting-edge competition that tasks participants with developing advanced drone swarm controllers for search-and-rescue missions. Open to students from select institutions, the Indian leg of the challenge included teams from IIT Madras, IIT Hyderabad, IIT Jodhpur, and Hyderabad Central University. In parallel, a similar event was held in France under CIEDS, with plans for the winning teams from both countries to convene post-finals, fostering a global exchange of ideas.
The challenge required teams to design autonomous drone swarm systems capable of navigating unknown, complex environments to locate and rescue individuals in distress. Participants were judged on multiple criteria, including speed, quality of exploration, the number of people saved, and the number of drones safely returned. The simulation-based format, built on Python and the Simple-Playgrounds (SPG) simulator, demanded creative problem-solving and expertise in artificial intelligence (AI) and multi-robot coordination—skills critical to modern defense and civil security applications.
The IIT Madras team took the top spot with an exceptional performance, demonstrating a robust and efficient swarm control system that excelled across all metrics. Not to be outdone, IIT Hyderabad secured second place with a solution showcasing remarkable adaptability and resilience, while a second team from IIT Madras rounded out the podium with a strong third-place finish. These achievements highlight the depth of talent and innovation within India’s academic ecosystem.
The Swarm Rescue Challenge aligns with DRDO’s mission to advance indigenous defense technologies and foster collaboration between academia and industry. By partnering with CIEDS, a French interdisciplinary center supported by the Defense Innovation Agency, DRDO has created a platform that not only tests technical capabilities but also promotes AI-driven solutions for real-world challenges like disaster response and military reconnaissance.
This year’s success builds on DRDO’s growing emphasis on engaging young innovators. The competition’s focus on swarm intelligence—an area with immense potential in defense applications such as surveillance, logistics, and tactical operations—underscores India’s commitment to staying at the forefront of next-generation technologies. For IIT Madras and IIT Hyderabad, both of which host DRDO Industry Academia Centres of Excellence (DIA-CoEs), this victory is a testament to their role in driving cutting-edge research with national security implications.
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