BITS Hyderabad Students Develop GPS-Free Drone Technology for Indian Army
Summarized by AI; it may make mistakes. Check important info
Summarized by AI; it may make mistakes. Check important info
Two students from the Birla Institute of Technology and Science (BITS), Hyderabad, have developed a new drone navigation system that can work without GPS signals. The technology, developed by their startup Beijan, could help Indian Army drones operate in areas where GPS signals are weak, unavailable or deliberately blocked. The system has already undergone military trials in different locations, including Secunderabad and Leh, and has also been demonstrated to the Indian Army's Southern Command.
The students, Naman Kasliwal and Shiv Patil, initially started working on this technology with a different goal. They wanted to build drones that could navigate on Mars, where GPS signals are not available. However, during their research, an Indian Army officer suggested that the same technology could also help military drones on Earth. This idea encouraged the students to explore its use in defence operations.
How Does the GPS-Free Drone Technology Work?
The new system is called the Beijan Autonomous Navigation Module. It uses cameras fitted on drones to understand their surroundings and find their direction as per reports. Instead of depending on GPS satellites, the system collects visual information through cameras and uses it to estimate the drone's movement. This allows drones to continue navigating even when GPS signals are disturbed or blocked.
The biggest challenge for the students was to make the technology reliable enough for real military operations. Testing in difficult areas like Leh required improvements in the system's accuracy, stability and performance. The team also worked to make the module easy to install in different types of drones. Their aim is to create a plug-and-play system that drone manufacturers can use without making major changes to their existing designs.
Through their startup Beijan, the students developed this GPS-free drone technology and received ₹1.7 crore in funding. The system has undergone military trials, and eight other Army units have shown interest. The team is now working to improve the technology and make it ready for wider use in Indian defence.
