The army has procured and has inducted 100 robot mules in the fourth trance of emergency procurement | Photo Credit: Dinakar Peri
The Army has acquired and deployed 100 robotic mules in forward areas while logistics drones are undergoing trials that will speed up support and movement to forward areas, especially at high altitudes. The new tent for high altitude areas is evaluated for deployment in temperatures down to -40 degrees Celsius.
All this was showcased last week at the Himtech symposium held in Leh, specially showcasing high technology.
“The Army has acquired and placed 100 robotic mules in the fourth trance of emergency procurement (EP),” a defense source confirmed. The fourth round of the EP takes place between September 2022 and September 2023.
Contracts of up to ₹300 crore can be placed on EPs, and deliveries must be completed within a year. Since the 2020 standoff with China in Eastern Ladakh, the Army has been looking for a series of technological innovations especially for high altitudes for various functions.
The robotic mule is a high-endurance, agile and durable all-weather ground robot for use in a variety of unstructured urban and natural environments for defense applications. “He can walk for three years. They can overcome all kinds of barriers and obstacles… They can enter water and cross rivers… They have the ability to identify objects around them because of electro-optics, infrared…,” said Arjun Aggarwal, managing director and CEO AeroArc said in Himtech. The mule can climb stairs, steep hills and other obstacles and can run in extreme temperatures, from -40 to +55 degrees Celsius and carry a load of 15kg.
High altitude clothing and habitat is a critical requirement for the Indian Army deployed at the world’s highest battlefield Siachen as well as other super high altitude locations. At Himtech, DTECH 360 Innovations announced the field launch of Peak Pods, high-altitude habitats (tents) designed for sub-zero temperature regions.
“We recognize the need for a solution that can provide safe and sustainable housing in high altitude areas, where extreme cold can make living conditions unbearable. Peak Pods fill this gap by combining research, modern design and advanced technology to achieve 15 ° C in a shelter at sub-zero temperatures, even when the outside temperature touches minus 40°C, without using fuel or electricity,” said Vinay Mittal, managing director of DTECH 360 Innovations. “The additional feature of the inbuilt bio-toilet makes it a one-of-a-kind holistic solution that is not available anywhere else in the world.”
“The Army has been using our solution on a no-cost-no-commitment basis for product evaluation & shortlisting,” Mr. Mittal said adding, “We are quite optimistic about the positive response.”
The product has been evaluated over the past few years at three high altitude locations – Leh (11,500 feet), Daulat Beg Oldie (16,700 feet) and Durbuk (12,500 feet). While the trials in Leh are being conducted from December 2022 to March 2023 and Durbuk from December 2023 to February 2024, the track in DBO which started in May 2023 is still ongoing. An army official at the exhibition, spoke positively about the Puncak Pod test.
The Peak Pod can be deployed quickly as it can be dismantled into 30kg blocks and is suitable for high-altitude military bases, research stations, adventure tourism destinations, emergency hospitals, disaster relief camps and more, Mr. Mittal added.
The 2nd Drone-A-Thon competition was held at Wari La on 17-18 September which saw over 20 Indian drone manufacturers participating and gave the Army an insight into the capabilities of the Indian industry. In the logistics category, the first prize went to Scandron Pvt Ltd. The CargoMax 4000Q drone tested in the competition is also being evaluated by the Army and defense sources said the contract will be finalized and will be used to deliver logistics to forward locations.
In the Him-DronaThon challenge, drones in the logistics category must take off from 15400 feet with a minimum cargo of 10kg, reach an altitude of 18,000 feet, cross the Wari La Pass and land in a remote location and then take off from a remote location and return to the base location, Arjun Naik, CEO of Scandron said. “Scandron uses a CargoMax 4000Q drone and carries a weight of 20kg to meet the parameters of the challenge,” he said.
The drone can carry a load of 50kg up to a maximum distance of 10km and a ceiling height of 6000 meters. It is scheduled to be flown at Umling La at an altitude of more than 19,000 feet in October.
Published – 23 September 2024 10:15 IST
