The Indian Army is on a ‘Make in India’ drive to modernise and indigenise its infrastructure capabilities. In order to achieve this, it is trying to put in place a problem definition document which will enumerate its needs for the next 15 to 20 years. While it is seeking “generation next” solutions from the industry, it is looking at academia as a means to address its needs.
Lt Gen Subrata Saha, Deputy Chief of the Army staff (planning and systems), and his team was in Coimbatore’s PSG College of Technology on an invitation from the Coimbatore chapter of the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) to meet the industry and the college and talk about the drive.
This is the fourth stop after IIT Bombay, IIT Madras, and IIT Gandhinagar. Lt Gen Saha said that the Army was looking forward to promising solutions based on the science and technology expertise that institutions in Coimbatore had to offer. “Since April, this year, we are on the road reaching out to the right people for engineering and research solutions that will translate into something comprehensive,” he said.
Some important requirements include ergonomically designed light-weight cold protection gear/ bullet-proof jackets, robots, pressure and temperature regulated modular cabins in hilly terrains and in snow-capped mountains, light-weight vehicles/ tanks, smart sensors /detection devices, survival kits, high calorific energy bars, fuel and water pipeline connections to forward posts, body wellness analysers/detectors worn by soldiers at high altitudes that can be monitored from the ground level, night vision gear, helmets, visors, and nano unarmed aerial vehicles.
The Centre of Excellence in Industrial Textiles, under the aegis of the Department of Textile Technology of PSG College of Technology, has shared information with the Army about their ongoing research and development (R and D) on thermal insulation and extreme climate fabrics.
According to Head of the department G. Thilagavathi, Army representatives had evinced interest in the R and D that could be adapted to make light-weight and water-resistant jackets that could withstand extreme weather conditions. “Based on the sample jacket the Army will provide, we will try to adapt the R and D to its specifications,” she said. “The Centre is committed to supporting institutional buyers like Railways and Defence. Hence, it is not difficult to align our projects with their requirements,” she added.
The Army will also look into the project resources available in the Impacting Research Innovation and Technology (IMPRINT) programme of the Government of India. It was launched in November 2015 by the President. It is the first-of-its-kind Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) supported pan-IIT and IISc joint initiative to address the major science and engineering challenges that the country must look into, enable, empower and embolden the nation for inclusive growth and self-reliance. It is focused on guiding research into areas that are socially relevant.
According to Lt Gen Saha, nearly 70 IMPRINT projects had the potential to align with the needs of the Army. The CII Coimbatore has a proposal to conduct competitions for students from engineering and arts colleges.
The best student projects will be shortlisted and recommended to the Army for taking them forward.
