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"We are working on building soldier robots
that can work like a human soldier. Such a robot
needs data base, artificial intelligence to carrying
out its activities and the DRDO is planning to
build such a robot," according to V.K. Saraswat,
scientific advisor to defence minister and director
general, DRDO.
After inaugurating new facilities inside the
Combat Vehicles Research and Development Establishment
(CVRDE) campus here Dec 11, he said the DRDO was
also planning to design a robotic mule that could
replace a real one used by soldiers in mountainous
terrain.
The DRDO has already developed Daksh, a remote-controlled
robotic vehicle, for detecting and destroying
dangerous objects like bombs and has been approved
by the Indian Army for induction.
The army will start trials of DRDO's main battle
tank Arjun Mark II from next October, said P.
Sivakumar, director, CVRDE.
He said the army had ordered 124 units of the
upgraded Arjun tanks.
According to him, the CVRDE would be completing
the supply of Mark I version of Arjun tanks by
March 2012. "We have supplied 110 units out
of the total 124 units that were ordered,"
he said.
The Indian tanks were far cheaper, costing around
Rs.21 crore each, as compared to Rs.56 crore each
of American battle tanks of a similar nature.
"If there are more orders then the cost
would come down further," added Saraswat.
According to Sivakumar, the CVRDE was planning
to source the battle tank engines and transmission
systems from BEML Ltd. Presently, the engines
and transmissions were imported.
Queried about the commercialisation of the technologies
developed by the DRDO, Saraswat said the annual
revenue was currently around Rs.30 crore and it
was growing.
He earlier inaugurated the new technology centre,
jointly set up by the CVRDE and BEML, a suspension
testing facility for Arjun tank and combat veronics
technology centre.
The centre will address the design and development
of defence products and aggregates including research
and development products.
According V.R.S. Natarajan, chairman and managing
director of BEML, the two organisations are now
working together with a foreign firm for building
and supplying 155 mm, 52 calibre tracked gun.
BEML supported the CVRDE in development of Arjun
tank sub-systems, documentation and other activities.
The new centre is being set up for better and
faster coordination between BEML and CVRDE. BEML
will depute 18 engineers to work at the new centre.
(IANS)
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