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Drone industry emerging as fastest growing field in India, says expert
Drone industry emerging as fastest growing field in India, says expert
India's drone industry is the fastest growing industry in the world with the second highest in the number of start-ups in the agritech sector, according to Dr Kota Harinarayana, Chairman, Board of Governors, IIT, Varanasi.
Bengaluru: India's drone industry is the fastest growing industry in the world with the second highest in the number of start-ups in the agritech sector, according to Dr Kota Harinarayana, Chairman, Board of Governors, IIT, Varanasi.
Answering a volley of questions posed by International Institute of Information Technology, Bangalore (IIIT-B) Director Prof.S. Sadagopan in a virtual session as part of the Bangalore Tech Summit 2020, Dr Harinarayana said the use of drones and robotics is becoming beneficial for even small farmers with two acres of land holdings as the technology helps in capturing images as close as one-two metres of the land where troubleshooting is required.
He said satellite images were inaccurate in detecting the problems that exists on farm lands which is now easily identifiable with the use of drones and robotics. "The use of drones has become an opportunity in agriculture given that its contribution to India's GDP has declined to 15 percent from 17 percent two years back.
They can be used in precision agriculture and help in doubling production."
Satellite images cannot be used in studying crops and drones have thus emerged as a cost-effective solution and are turning out to be even cheaper than deploying manpower for the purpose, he explained.
Dr Harinarayana asserted that drones emerged as the driving force in data analytics in India. However, he said, the drone endurance remains low at about one hour. He said many industries mushroomed in Bengaluru that make surveillance cameras for drones. Curbs imposed by the government of India on imports have spurred setting up of start-ups, according to him.
Stressing the vital role being played by drones, he said locusts were driven away or eliminated in Rajasthan recently with the use of these mini pilotless aircraft. Five such machines were pressed into service to spray pesticide to drive away the locusts and help the farmers.
Dr Harinarayana said drones could be used in medical emergencies like organ transplants to save precious lives and time. Trials are on to equip '108' ambulance teams with these flying machines. However, fund constraints may come in the way of their application in medical emergencies.
Prof. S. Sadagopan said IIT-B is showcasing a whole range of technologies at the Bangalore Tech Summit 2020 that are path-breaking and at the cutting edge in terms of technology. He said the pandemic has thrown up a challenge for IIIT-B and has developed a tech dashboard for governments of Karnataka and Jharkhand. He said the spread of the virus has thrown up a number of opportunities to undertake research work.
