Indian colleges are expanding their drone-related activities to prepare students for careers in drone studies and drone research after graduation.
While drones have long been a source of fascination for students in India’s technical colleges, the vast majority of universities and colleges do not offer specialized drone studies and drone research programs. The tide is beginning to turn in this direction.
According to V. Sandeep, assistant professor and department head of the institute’s electrical engineering department, the National Institute of Technology (NIT) Andhra Pradesh is set to become one of the first engineering institutes in India to offer a minor in drone studies.
A variety of activities and courses related to drones are available at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Guwahati. Parameswar K. Iyer, dean of public relations at IIT Guwahati said
“We’re about to launch drone usage courses for Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officers and Assam state officials as well as a drone pilot training programme. In terms of education, we’re about to launch courses on drone usage for IAS officers and Assam state officials, as well as a drone pilot training programme.”
To encourage drone manufacturing in India, the government launched a Rs. 120 crores Production-linked incentive (PLI) scheme in September of last year, which has since been extended. A consolidated cross-industry effort dubbed Drone Shakti was announced by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in February.
The government is attempting to bring manufacturers, drone application providers, and pilots together with the industry’s entire ecosystem as part of the Drone Shakti initiative. The drone industry, according to data from the staffing firm Team Lease Digital, is poised to generate nearly 100,000 new jobs over the next five to seven years, either directly or indirectly.
Team Lease posts between 750 and 900 jobs per month, according to Gautam Vohra, vice president and business head of Team Lease, who spoke with Mint last month. There is also a severe shortage of drone pilots in the industry, which is a major concern.
The first drone workshop at NIT Sandeep, in Andhra Pradesh, took a “level one approach,” according to the institute’s statement, which took place on March 5 and provided engineering students with an introduction to drone technologies and pilot training.
The workshop was held in collaboration with Tihan (Technology Innovation Hub on Autonomous Navigation), a government-funded innovation hub based at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Hyderabad, and the workshop was held in collaboration with them.
An electrical engineering department student is researching the use of drones in rescue operations and emergency disaster management as part of his final graduation project, according to Sandeep, who is a professor at the university.
An assistant professor of robotics and drones at the Indian Institute of Technology Mandi, Amit Shukla, is organizing a drone laboratory for post-graduate and research students at the institution. As he explained, “We’re collaborating with students here on the development of indigenous drone technologies for industrial inspection and aerial manipulation.”
The work of students at IIT Mandi under the supervision of Shukla has also piqued the interest of the industry. According to Shukla, GAIL has expressed an interest in using drone technologies that have been developed in-house for pipeline inspection purposes.
The “minor” course offered by NIT Andhra Pradesh is an additional certificate that can be obtained in addition to the main course, which includes B.Tech degrees in any field of study from an accredited institution
According to Iyer, the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Guwahati offers certified drone pilot courses accredited by the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA). It is anticipated that the institute will open India’s first Centre of Excellence for Drone Technology Research in November 2021, with support from the Ministry of Commerce and Industrial.
Despite the fact that this has heightened student interest in drone studies, Iyer stated that there is no immediate plan to incorporate drones into the formal academic environment in the near future.
The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Mandi, on the other hand, takes a different stance. The institute, according to Shukla, is considering the introduction of a standalone robotics engineering course, in which students would study drone technologies and related topics exclusively, rather than specializing in drones in addition to their primary, conventional engineering course.
According to Karan Kamdar, chief executive of the Indian Drone Racing League, smaller colleges are also offering specialized courses in addition to the IITs and NITs. However, Kamdar believes that the latter is increasing students’ interest in drones as a sport or hobby, whereas the former largely remains a crowd-pleaser at college festivals.
We’re also seeing an increase in interest among faculty members. Colleges that do not have a significant amount of funding or event sponsors are also eager to see drone activities organized on their respective campuses.
For example, our most recent drone racing event at the Father C. Rodriguez Institute of Technology in Navi Mumbai was a resounding success. Kamdar went on to say more.
Published by – Kiruthiga K
Edited by – Kritika Kashyap
