The Hi-Tech Robotic Systemz Ltd. (THRSL) showcased a slew of unmanned robotic vehicle platforms. “We have counter-terrorism robots, surveillance robots, bomb disposal robots, along with our driver assistive system, which I feel can be very useful for the trucks in logistics and supply chain of the Army,” said Mr. Anuj Kapuria, THRSL Director and CEO.
The Army is one of the largest owners of logistics carriers in India. Assisting it will help THRSL as the army is maturing to modern technology. “We are starting to see some traction over these products. We are hopeful that 2016-17 should see proliferation of use of robots in the Indian Army,” Mr. Kapuria averred.
Notably the Indian Army is already using around 150 of THRSL robots across categories. “The number should double in the next 1-2 years. We are growing at the rate of 50 per cent year on year basis and even with that growth we have maintained around 40 per cent of orders from the non-industrial defence part of the business,” beamed Mr. Kapuria.
From a platform perspective in defence robotics THRSL has the complete range like small robots, throwable ball robots, a man-portable robots and larger robots in 300-400 kg categories. Further to these robots, THRSL has kits too. The retrofitable, easy-to-install vehicle kit can turn any manually driven vehicle into a computer-operated vehicle. “These kits are available for a variety of vehicles ranging from small four-wheelers to very large heavy duty commercial vehicles. This will enable the vehicle to become unmanned. We feel the Indian Army may not have requirements of one robot that can do it, all as they always have mission specific platforms. So, instead of making a robot that can do everything, we have made these kits to convert whatever platform they have into robots. This is one area that we are focusing on and keen to showcase it to the Army,” he said.
India first
Reiterating the company commitment to India first, Mr. Kapuria stated: “A large part of our aggregates are made in India. Only some of the sensors for radio technology that are still not available in India are imported. A lot of the existing platforms that we have, as much as 60-70 per cent of its content are made in India.”
THRSL attributes its success and penetration in Defence to its joint collaboration with the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO). “We co-develop products with them. It helps us understand the user requirement. Sometimes it so happens that the Army doesn’t know what exactly it wants, so DRDO can help in that in what the Army needs to have and they also have better access to technology. The collaboration has produced some unmanned ground vehicles with various classes of robots with various payloads,” he added.
Some of the products displayed by THRSL at the event included:
Intelligent Remote Information Sensor (IRIS): This product has been delivered to armed forces to carry out surveillance operations to get the defence personnel a strategic advantage during counter terrorist operations.
Mobile Robot for ISR operations – MOLE: This mobile robot for rugged Intelligent Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) operations which won the Best Innovation Product Award from Frost and Sullivan, has been successfully developed and delivered to various armed forces. It is a multi-terrain wireless surveillance robot designed for personnel engaged in counter terrorism, law enforcement search and rescue amongst many other activities.
Chemical Biological Radiological Nuclear (CBRN): THRSL co-developed this robot with VRDE, Ahmadnagar (DRDO lab). This robot is used for saving lives of defence personnel in chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear warfare, and variants of this robot can be used for video surveillance, UXO handling and combat / anti-terrorist operations. At high altitudes with harsh environments, the robots can do surveillance, aid patrolling and can definitely limit the presence of soldiers.
Confined Space Remotely Operated Vehicle (CSROV): This robot is co-developed with R&DE (E), Pune (DRDO lab). It is used for Explosive Ordinance Disposal robot which can climb stairs, run in various unstructured terrains and has the ability to significantly change the vehicle’s flipper positions, ensures stability, allows extended ground clearance when required and aids adjustment to comparatively minimum size when accessing confined spaces. The mass distribution of robot will help to perform different tasks with manipulator arm.
With R&DE (E), Pune- DRDO lab, THRSL is also a manufacturing partner for developing the very well-known bomb diffusal robot DAKSH, also called CBRNE – ROV, which is a battery-operated remote-controlled robot on wheels, and its primary role is to recover bombs.
THRSL is the winner of the Industrial Innovation Award 2014 presented by the Defence Robotics Division of CII and the MSME National Award for Research & Development. It is an Indian boot-strapped start-up focused on developing and delivering world-class indigenised robotics and unmanned system products for keeping armed/civil personnel safe.
With nearly 20 patents for various areas of robotics, the company provides cutting-edge technologies in rugged Intelligent Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) systems. Its mission critical ISR products bring actionable intelligence to a remote location for strategic and tactile planning, hence providing an operational edge to the defence personnel.
Apart from defence, THRSL has its focus on commercial vehicles (CVs) particularly for driver assistance system. “Since we have driverless technology, we believe it is just a matter of time that people would move to unmanned CVs,” opined Mr. Kapuria.
THRSL made news recently with its display of Novus-Drive, the first driverless shuttle in the country, at Auto Expo 2016. The vehicle has the capacity to seat 14 people, can autonomously navigate on its own with its high fidelity sensors and robust algorithms for path planning and navigation. The vehicle is indigenously produced at the THRSL’s Gurgaon facility. It’s a complete ‘Made in India’ product with all its research and development done in Gurgaon.
To strengthen its already advanced Defence Robotics vertical and foray into international markets, THRSL has partnered with Telerob GmbH, trading as Cobham Unmanned Systems in India. “We are working on strategic partnership to make advances for appropriate technology transfer. Cobham is a leading provider of integrated homeland security solutions and unmanned platforms, utilising more than 30 years of expertise in this highly specialised field from Germany,” Mr. Kapuria added.