TN drones to hog the limelight at first drone fest in Delhi

CHENNAI: Drones from Tamil Nadu will be showcased at the Bharat Drone Mahotsav 2022, which will be inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Pragati Maidan in New Delhi on Friday. The first-of-its-kind event is being organised by the Centre to boost the country’s drone industry. 

Two drones developed by Anna University and the prototype of a drone taxi built by e-Plane, an IIT-M incubated company, will be among the star attractions. “At least seven drones have been chosen from across India to be displayed and demonstrated at the two-day event. Of these, at least two are built by Anna University,” said K Senthil Kumar, director of the Centre for Aerospace Research, Anna University.

One of the drones is a pesticide sprayer and the other is a tethered drone built for use in VIP security. The latter, a hexacopter, will be showcased for the first time before the prime minister. It has a cable facilitating power and data transfer and a stabilised zoom camera. It can fly for 24 hours continuously and is best suited for VIP security surveillance, said Kumar. “The event is a congregation of all stakeholders from the drone industry and we will definitely get orders in bulk for our products,” he added. 

Over 1,600 delegates, comprising government officials; foreign diplomats; members from the armed forces, central armed police forces; staff from public sector undertakings and private companies; and drone start-ups will participate in the two-day festival.