Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee (IITRoorkee), an institute of national importance; Garuda Aerospace, a leading drone registered with Start-Up, Chennai; and AGROB, an agri-ecosystem registered under Start-Up India and MSME, Gurgaon signs a long term partnership agreement to jointly address the growing demand for indigenous Drone Pilots in the rapidly developing Indian Drone Ecosystem.
In order to synergize efforts and seek expert services for mutual benefits of all three parties, the organizations formed a tripartite to formalize the working under a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). Promoting interaction between the parties in mutually beneficial areas of upcoming drone technologies in the principal technical and research areas of Software, Robotics, Digital solutions, Drone Pilot training, Demos, other related areas in AI based solutions and initiate joint (pilot) projects IIT Roorkee will be providing the application-based solution i.e., AI based monitoring, among others. AGROB and Garuda will be providing the real time implementations.
AGROB India Private Limited focuses on building Agriculture and Technological products and services. It has also established its global presence through export-import, e-marketplace, and aims to manufacture, sell and service cost effective Drones with research support and provide Drone pilot training in the Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) industry. Thus, leading to the cost-effective management of drone integration and adoption.
Furthermore, Garuda Aerospace Private Limited focuses on the design, building and customization of UAVs or drones for various applications. Catering to diverse needs such as agricultural survey, mapping, reconnaissance and surveillance. Garuda also conducts Drone Pilot trainings, sale of drones and demos.
Prof. Ajit K Chaturvedi, Director, IIT Roorkee, highlighted, “This partnership will facilitate collaborative development of Make in India Drones by providing innovative solutions. IIT Roorkee will focus on application-based solutions like AI based monitoring, and will be involved in providing customized solutions for drones. Students will be involved in the development of hardware and DRONE flying strategies“.
Speaking about the tripartite, Prof. Dharmendra Singh, Coordinator, Drone Research Centre, IIT Roorkee, said, “Our goal is to develop a Drone Ecosystem through industry partnerships and provide value added research inputs. In cooperation, we will develop futuristic AI drones, educate farmers and AgriTech service providers, and make them future ready. Additionally, training road shows and drone and surveillance technology aero-shows are in progress.”
Agnishwar Jayaprakash, Founder nad CEO, Garuda Aerospace, said,“The association is a step towards realizing the company’s target of manufacturing 1 lakh Make in India Drones by end of 2023. This partnership will usher a new era in imparting quality skill training in the field of Automation, AI, ML and Drones for millions of Indian Youth.”
Harsh Upadhyay, Founder and CEO, AGROB, avers,“This tripartite collaboration is to leverage IIT Roorkee’s research and AI Technology as AgriTech aggregator for Make in India Drones bringing a Drone Age revolution for the next generation. This strategic partnership will create awareness among farmers for use of Drones and its benefits, generating job opportunities. This will enable us to take Make in India UAV drones global and compete with leading companies.”
