~GSFC University teams win First Prize and First Runner-Up at ELCIA Smart City Drone-AI Challenge 2026 with innovative AI-based civic solutions.
Vadodara, Gujarat, Sep 15 (VNI): Two student teams from GSFC University have secured the First Prize and First Runner-Up positions at the ELCIA Next-Gen Innovative Tech Hackathon 2026 – Smart City Drone-AI Challenge, winning a combined cash prize of ₹85,000. GSFC University was the only institution to secure both the top two positions and the only institution to have two teams among the Top 5 finalists.
The hackathon was organised by the Electronics City Industries Association (ELCIA) in collaboration with IIIT-Bangalore and VLSI System Design (VSD). The awards were presented at the ELCIA Tech Summit 2026 held recently at The Oterra, Electronics City, Bengaluru. The challenge attracted 183 team registrations, 343 participants and representation from 18 states, with participants tasked with developing AI-based solutions for real-world urban problems using drone and city-video footage.
The winning team, Drone404, comprising Krishay Shah, a third-year B.Tech Computer Science & Engineering student, and Tatva Shah, a second-year B.Tech Computer Science & Engineering student, presented HYDRO-VISION-3D. The AI-powered 3D Ground Control Station uses drone footage to identify potholes, waterlogging, open manholes, drainage overflow and damaged footpaths. The system combines AI detection, tracking, depth estimation, GIS mapping and risk analytics to convert detected hazards into actionable municipal work orders.
The First Runner-Up team, CivicPulse, comprising third-year B.Tech Computer Science & Engineering students Manthan Chawda and A. Manav Prasath, developed AI-Assisted Monsoon Civic Risk Intelligence. The project processes drone footage and GPS data to detect civic hazards and enables operators to verify incidents, assign repairs, track their status and confirm restoration. Its AI pipeline was trained on a dataset of 8,063 images. Both GSFC University teams competed in the Monsoon, Roads & Civic Infrastructure Intelligence track.
The ELCIA Tech Summit 2026 was held under the theme “Intellect. Insights. Impact.” and brought together more than 1,000 participants along with 50+ speakers and partners from across the technology ecosystem. The strong performance by GSFC University teams highlighted the students’ capabilities in applying drone technology, artificial intelligence and data-driven solutions to real-world civic challenges. VNI NEWS, GSFC University, ELCIA Smart City Drone-AI Challenge 2026, ELCIA Tech Summit 2026, Drone AI Challenge, Smart City AI, AI Hackathon, Drone Technology, Civic Infrastructure, Vadodara, GSFC University Drone AI Challenge, ELCIA Smart City Drone AI Challenge 2026, GSFC University AI Hackathon, Smart City Drone AI, VNINews, VNINews.com