From Europe’s gateway to the Atlantic, INESC TEC researcher Nuno Cruz travelled south to India to showcase, off the coast of the Bay of Bengal, the Institute’s marine robotics technologies and solutions.
At the Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT Madras), in Chennai, Nuno Cruz presented INESC TEC’s innovative approaches, demonstrating how marine robotics is introducing new possibilities not only for science, but also for the offshore energy sector and the Blue Economy.
At the International Conference on Ocean Engineering (ICOE), he delivered the lecture Advancing Marine Robotics: Innovations, Challenges, and Collaborative Pathways, where he explained how the Institute is working to capture what lies hidden beneath the surface, in the depths and darkness of the oceans.
“Go deeper, stay longer” is the guiding motto of INESCTEC.OCEAN’s research in this field, and Nuno Cruz took the opportunity to exchange ideas with PhD students interested in applying their knowledge in other parts of the world, including Portugal. One key calling card: the “large-scale” European projects in which INESC TEC is involved.
“Following the event and my lecture, I was approached by several students interested in the doctoral programme at the Faculty of Engineering of the University of Porto (FEUP). The subject was also discussed with several IIT Madras faculty members, who expressed interest in exploring the possibility of PhD student exchanges, making use of INESC TEC’s projects and infrastructures”, said the researcher.
Alongside the scientific sessions, the ICOE 2025 programme included visits to two leading institutions: the National Technology Centre for Ports, Waterways and Coasts (NTCPWC) – “where we were able to watch a 90x65m wave tank and a digital twin of commercial ports”, noted Nuno Cruz – and the National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT), specialising in equipment for deep-sea operations.
“It was very rewarding to reconnect with colleagues, meet new partners and have conversations that generated fresh ideas and promising directions for collaboration; we are eager to develop these connections and drive innovation together”, the added.
The ICOE is organised by the Department of Ocean Engineering at IIT Madras – with which INESC TEC signed a Memorandum of Understanding – and brings together ocean engineering researchers from around the world. The conference has previously taken place in Mauritius (2019) and Germany (2023), though it is most often held in the southern Indian city.
Before heading to India, Nuno Cruz stopped in the Azores for an IEEE-branded event, EXPAT’2025, focused on aquatic sensors. The archipelago is the stage for a recent project – AI4PORTS – aimed at developing new solutions for the automatic detection of anomalies in underwater port structures.
“The conference had a strong presence from the Azores’ scientific community, which made it possible to discuss potential partnerships for new projects, such as AI4Ports. It also allowed us to engage with Azorean colleagues with whom we are preparing the third edition of the WAVES’2025 workshop, set to take place in Ponta Delgada next October”, he concluded.
The researcher mentioned in this news piece is associated with INESC TEC and the Faculty of Engineering of the University of Porto (FEUP)
