RRU set to aid Gandhinagar farmers with high-tech drones
The Rashtriya Raksha University (RRU) in Gandhinagar on Friday signed an MoU (memorandum of understanding) with Hyderabad-based Brane Services Pvt Ltd to establish a state-of-the-art drone robotics centre (DRC) at the varsity campus. Apart from developing rooster drone technology and counter-drone technologies, the two will also partner to pilot an initiative to monitor farmlands and […]
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The company’s DRC unit on campus will also provide internship opportunities to RRU students, added Bimal Patel, Vice-Chancellor, RRU. (File Photo)The Rashtriya Raksha University (RRU) in Gandhinagar on Friday signed an MoU (memorandum of understanding) with Hyderabad-based Brane Services Pvt Ltd to establish a state-of-the-art drone robotics centre (DRC) at the varsity campus. Apart from developing rooster drone technology and counter-drone technologies, the two will also partner to pilot an initiative to monitor farmlands and the yield, aiding local farmers with necessary interventions, using drones.
While counter drone technology helps in detecting other drones, a rooster drone can roll as a robot and fly as a drone.
With the varsity located in Lavad in Dahegam block of Gandhinagar, the initiative will be undertaken locally in the neighbouring villages as a CSR (corporate social responsibility) activity, said Colonel Kanvaljit Singh, Associate Dean, RRU. The objective is to see if it can be scaled up as a viable solution for farmers across the country, he added.
“We want to build a model where we will make the drone available to the village. They don’t have to buy it nor pay us rent. Then we use this drone right from the time the farmer is preparing his land for sowing till the time of harvest. The idea is to help a farmer to raise his productivity per unit area and reduce his costs, and make them use less manual labour. The supply chain can be more efficient and cost-effective,” Singh said.
The pilot project will run for a year following which, depending on the result, the RRU will request the state government to release funds for buying the drones. “If the model is successful in Gujarat, we can replicate the models at villages near RRU’s other campuses in the country,” Singh added. RRU at present has four campuses – in Arunachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Puducherry and Shimoga in Karnataka.
As Singh explains with example, drones will be used to say, inspect nutritional deficiencies in the soil, use technology to rectify such deficiencies such as by spraying the necessary nutrients, set a verification check if the spray has evenly spread over the field, use drones to see if moisture in soil is optimal, monitor plant health including looking for pest infestation, etc. The monitoring will be carried out frequently, say every third or fifth day, says Singh.
The cost for the pilot project will be shared by RRU and Brane Services. Meanwhile, the first prototype of the rooster drones, developed by Brane Services was first handed over to the Indian Army’s Northern Command in November 2023. As part of the MoU now, the company will further advance its development following feedback on the prototype from the Indian Army.
The company’s DRC unit on campus will also provide internship opportunities to RRU students, added Bimal Patel, Vice-Chancellor, RRU.
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