IIT Delhi, Indian Navy join hands to improve safety, efficiency, design of naval warships

The Indian Institute of Technology Delhi (IIT Delhi) and the Directorate of Naval Architecture, Indian Navy have joined hands to establish a research and design centre to improve the Quality of Life (QoL) onboard Indian naval ships through design interventions.

As part of the partnership, IIT Delhi researchers from the department of design will research the safety, efficiency, and habitability of various ongoing and future new construction projects and provide inputs in ship designs.

The partnership will broaden the institute’s existing links with the navy in underwater and electronics and postgraduate programme in naval construction.

The engineering institute and DNA will work towards the overarching aim of improving the QoL onboard Indian naval ships, extending the mercantile marine and any other Indian ethnicity-based habitability requirement.

RAdm Arvind Rawal, asst Chief of Materiel (Dockyard & Refit), Indian Navy, said: “This MoU marks a significant step forward in our shared endeavour to make Indian warships not just formidable in combat but also exemplary in terms of crew comfort, efficiency, and habitability.”

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IIT Delhi to build expertise in crew-centric warship design

“Through this partnership, we are joining hands with one of the nation’s premier academic institutions to build subject matter expertise in crew-centric warship design. The initiative introduces a scientific, process-based approach to habitability—bringing in the disciplines of ergonomics, human factors, and design optimization into naval architecture,” admiral added.

The institute will study the existing ship designs by the Indian Navy and conduct comparative analysis of their designs with international standards, with respect to QoL parameters such as ergonomics, comfort, efficiency, safety, and user experience.

“Systematic identification of improvement areas in existing ship designs and articulation of new design interventions to make the Indian Navy designs ahead among the comparisons will be part of the joint efforts,” according to an official press release.

The agreement was signed by RAdm Arvind Rawal, Asst Chief of Materiel (Dockyard & Refit), Indian Navy, and Rangan Banerjee, director of IIT Delhi.

“We are delighted to be working with the Indian Navy to improve the comfort conditions for our naval officers and crew using the Indian Navy’s Directorate of Naval Architecture Signs MoU with IIT Delhi for Crew Centred Aspects of Warship Design,” Banerjee said.