Bengaluru: A four-member team from the Manipal Institute of Technology (MIT), Bengaluru, a constituent unit of Manipal Academy of Higher Education (MAHE), has won the Regional Final of the NXP Cup India 2026. Competing as Team MAVERIC, the students triumphed on August 19 with an autonomous robotic solution for medical response applications, securing a place in the national Grand Finale scheduled for November.
The team comprises Mandava Mohan Sai Koushik, Tushar S Chillal, Aditya Sinha and Akshat Chauhan. Their prototype navigates complex environments, identifies patients, maps pickup and delivery points, recognises road signs and safely transports patients to hospitals. The NXP Cup, organised by NXP Semiconductors, challenges engineering students to build mobile robotics using artificial intelligence, machine learning, computer vision, LiDAR, sensor integration and autonomous navigation. The 2026 edition focused on Autonomous Medical Response.
The regional round was held in a virtual Gazebo simulator. As winners, Team MAVERIC received an NXP MR-Buggy3 hardware kit to transition their solution from simulation to physical implementation ahead of the national event.
Dr Madhu Veeraraghavan, Pro Vice Chancellor, MAHE Bengaluru, congratulated the students, noting that the achievement demonstrates their ability to translate classroom learning into practical solutions with societal relevance. Dr Iven Jose, Director, MIT Bengaluru, highlighted how the win reflects innovation, teamwork and hands-on learning at the intersection of robotics and AI.
Team MAVERIC said the development process taught them valuable lessons that will support their larger goal of building an autonomous go-kart. They credited institutional support and plan to implement their simulated code on real hardware for the national finale.
The victory underscores MIT Bengaluru’s focus on experiential, industry-oriented learning and the students’ capacity to integrate multiple technologies for real-world impact.
