Deploying robots as sentries, deciphering Mandarin into English: Artificial Intelligence to strengthen Indian defence forces

NEW DELHI: India’s focus on the new age disruptive technology Artificial Intelligence (AI) will lead the forces soon to have not just robots doing sentry duty but also the soldiers in mine laden fields will have robots marking and warning about the mines.

Even those soldiers operating along the Northern Border will have an AI device to decipher Mandarin into English for them.

These three and 72 more such devices and products as Defence Minister Rajnath Singh launched 75 newly-developed Artificial Intelligence (AI) products/technologies during the first-ever ‘AI in Defence’ (AIDef) symposium and exhibition, organised by the Ministry of Defence in New Delhi on Monday.

These included AI Platform Automation; Autonomous/Unmanned/Robotics systems; BlockChain-based Automation; Command, Control, Communication, Computer & Intelligence, Surveillance & Reconnaissance; Cyber Security; Human Behavioural Analysis; Intelligent Monitoring Systems; Lethal Autonomous Weapon Systems; Logistics and Supply Chain Management, Operational Data Analytics; Manufacturing and Maintenance; Simulators/Test Equipment and speech/voice analysis using Natural Language Processing.

A startup CogKnit run by Anuroop Iyengar is preparing the voice recognition and Mandarin Translator

“The device is offline and can recognize voices at a distance of 5ft. It will be helpful during the Border personnel Meetings and also in times of any standoffs for better communication.”

The work is on to bring the present weight of device to 200 gms from 600 gms and to increase the effective range to 15 ft and more, said

Coming to the autonomous robot which will be functioning as sentry, Major Paras Kanwar said that it can be put on a metal rail and with its AI application it will be able to recognize a person from far. “The device will challenge a person as it is enabled to differentiate between a friend and a foe.”. It will keep storing the data for future use and can be operated from a distance of more than five kilometers with wireless signals.  

Major Kanwar also is part of an AI based offensive weapon project where a device will Locate, detect and fire on an enemy. These products have been promoted by the Army Design Bureau and will soon have their mass production.

Three AI products developed by the DPSUs having dual-use applications and good market potential, namely AI-enabled Voice Transcription/Analysis software developed by Bharat Electronics Limited; Driver Fatigue Monitoring System developed by Bharat Earth Movers Limited and AI-enabled evaluation of Welding defects in X-rays of Non-destructive Testing developed by Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers were screened during the event. These products are expected to open up new business avenues for the Defence PSUs.

Speaking at the event Rajnath Singh pointed out that AI has built inroads in almost every sector, including defence, health & medicine, agriculture, trade & commerce and transport. He called upon all the defence stakeholders to enhance the jointness of human consciousness and the ability of AI to bring a radical change in the sector.

“When there has been full human participation in wars, new autonomous weapons/systems have been developed with the help of AI applications. They can destroy enemy establishments without human control. AI-enabled military devices are capable of handling large amounts of data efficiently. It is also proving to be very helpful in training the soldiers. In the coming times, Augmented and Virtual Reality technologies will also be used effectively,” he said.