IIT-Hyderabad partners DRDO for AI in missile, missile defence

HYDERABAD: The Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO) Cell which was established in IIT Hyderabad (IIT-H) in 2020-21 signed an MoU for establishing a DRDO Industry Academia Centre of Excellence.

The then Director of the Chennai Reasearch Centre Dr Natrajan took the initiative to contact various Defence Laboratories in and around Hyderabad, collate the problem statements, and share them among IIT-H faculty members through the then Dean of Research and Development Prof. Sumohana, IIT-H, and that's how the ball started rolling in 2019-20. IIT-H Faculty and several DRDO Scientists put tireless efforts in first drafting the proposals to cater to the exact requirement of the Defense, and many proposals in varied areas ranging from Additive manufacturing to sensors design, Artificial intelligence to Space technologies were submitted, and 13 proposals worth of several crores of rupees were sanctioned at rocket speed. Understanding the importance of Additive Manufacturing to the Defence, one Centre for Additive Manufacturing was also proposed where faculty from various departments, from Mechanical to Materials science and Metallurgical Engineering, Biomedical to Electrical Engineering, participated. The currently sanctioned DIA COE will take this initiative to a higher level and enable IITH, DRDO, and Industry to contribute to nation-building.

Chairman DRDO & Secretary DDR&D Dr Samir V Kamat exchanged MoU with Director, IIT-H Prof B S Murty, for setting up the DRDO Industry Academia Center of Excellence at IIT Hyderabad in the presence of Defence Minister Rajnath Singh during the largest Defence exhibition and conference DefExpo22, Gandhinagar on October 20, 2022.

Expressing his delight on this milestone, Prof B S Murty said, "Country's defence is not only the responsibility of those who fight the battle on the border but also every Indian, who can be a significant contributor in their own way. IITH is committed to serving humanity through invention & Innovation in technology; DIA-CoE is another indication of the high Innovation Quotient we are known for. IITH is among a few IITs that has been trusted for its capabilities and adored this unique opportunity to serve the nation profoundly".

The DIA CoE would work on the following broad domains:

♦ Ultra High-Temperature Materials for Hypersonic Vehicles

♦ Artificial Intelligence for Missile and Missile Defence

♦ Technologies for Space application

♦ Adaptive Imaging and Image Processing

♦ Nanoornithocopter technologies

♦ Seeker and Homing Technologies

♦ Additive Manufacturing