IIT Guwahati's Aeromodelling Club aims to develop 'smart drones' for common people

GUWAHATI: Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati's Aeromodelling Club is encouraging students to harness creativity, technology and innovation in aeromodelling.

With an aim to develop smart drones with an easy interface for common people to interact with drones, the club has developed different types of drones including 'Warehouse Drone' for warehouse management, 'Reaper Drones' for military and law enforcement, 'Ornithopter' based on the design of birds which can be used for surveillance in tight spaces, for wildlife photography, and 'RAVEN,' an indigenously developed VTOL (Vertical Takeoff and Landing) capable fixed-winged aircraft

Apart from these projects, students have also developed a drone capable of firing at targets with high precision. The firing mechanism is designed in such a way that it returns to its previous position waiting for the pilot's command for the next firing. Speaking about Innovations underway at this club, Prof Chivukula Vasudeva Sastri, Department of Chemistry, IIT Guwahati, said, "I have watched the students of the Aeromodelling Club work very closely, and the amount of passion and effort they put into developing aerial robots is just amazing. Their consistent top performances in both internal and external competitions speak for themselves."

Set up as an informal group in 2013 by students interested in aerodynamics and registered as an official club of IIT Guwahati in 2015, the Aeromodelling Club has been associated with multiple events both within and outside the campus. Over the years, the club has been conducting training workshops in various fields like aircraft design, computer vision, and RC aircraft hardware. Off late, they have even managed to secure the seed fund from TIC IIT Guwahati to develop 'Reaper' for commercialization

Sharing his experience on working on drones, Rishikesh Das, 3rd year, Department of Mechanical Engineering, IIT Guwahati, said, "I have always been fascinated by RC planes. It has been a wonderful opportunity for me to explore aircraft design and understand the aerodynamics of planes. The number of potential drones has excited me even more. Working on projects at the Aeromodelling Club is a wonderful feeling, to be able to contribute to society and find answers to existing problems."

The club has consistently been participating in intra-college events like Techniche and Techeivence, proudly showcasing its plethora of projects. Since its inception, the club has also been successful in leaving its mark as a dominant figure in the inter IIT Technical events, winning consecutive silver medals for DRDO's problem statement (2019 and 2020) for IIT Guwahati. The club also participated in Drone Utsav 2021, and NERC (North East Research Conclave) 2022, conducted at IIT Guwahati showcasing various prototypes of their innovations.

Aeromodelling Club of IITG has always been working on building drones that solve problems in a wide range of areas in society and industries. The club is swift to respond in any case of requirement. In 2022, when the Indian Meteorology Department issued a red alert warning to citizens against more rainfall in certain areas in the state of Assam, which were already flooded. The Aeromodelling Club deployed their drones and conducted surveys spanning an area of over 30 sq km to identify safe spots where flood relief payloads can be landed safely, stated a press release.

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