Now, a robot can self-detect crop diseases and spray pesticides, courtesy IIT KGP
written by Sharadiya Mitra
At IIT Kharagpur's Mechanical Engineering department, a remarkable innovation in smart farming has taken shape: a machine that will deploy pesticides after detecting plant diseases.
'This breakthrough aims to address key challenges faced by farmers and enhance agricultural efficiency,' said Professor Dilip Kumar Pratihar. Under his leadership, a team of PhD and project students has successfully developed a semi-automatic tracked mobile manipulator cum agricultural robotic system.
Recognizing its potential impact, an Indian patent has been granted to Professor Pratihar, Pradeep Nahak, Atanu Jana, and their team.
The roots of this innovation trace back to 2018 when Prof Pratihar first introduced the concept during his invited lecture at the National Seminar on 'Trends and Applications of ICT in Agriculture (TRACT),' organized by C-DAC Kolkata.
'The diverse nature of agricultural terrains—neither entirely smooth nor completely rough—demands a unique solution. That's when I proposed the idea of a Tracked Mobile Manipulator, designed to adapt seamlessly to such environments. This system, equipped with a serial manipulator resembling a human arm, was envisioned to bring precision and intelligence to the field of agricultural robotics,' he said.
While drone-based farming tools have gained popularity, they often face limitations in capturing clear images of plant leaves.
The forced draught from their propellers tends to disturb the leaves, resulting in blurry or noisy data. To solve this, the IIT Kharagpur team developed a ground-based alternative.
'Addressing this gap with thoughtful precision, the team designed the Tracked Mobile Manipulator. Unlike aerial systems, this robot employs stable, camera-based image analysis to accurately detect plant diseases, followed by the targeted, automatic spraying of suitable pesticides,' the professor explained.
The project has been supported by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, Government of India, and the robot is being manufactured by the OEM TECHNIDO.
It aims to reduce farmers' exposure to harmful chemicals, minimize crop loss, and improve food quality.
With this innovation, India takes a bold leap toward a future where cutting-edge robotics and traditional farming wisdom come together.
(The writer in an intern with the Indian Express)
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Indian Express
27 minutes ago
- Indian Express
Dragon with Shukla, 3 others to dock with ISS at 4.30 pm today
Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla embarked on the most consequential flight of his life Wednesday, taking off, along with three others, in the Axiom-4 mission to the International Space Station. This makes him only the second Indian to travel to space. A fighter pilot and test pilot with the Indian Air Force, with more than 2,000 hours of flying experience, Shukla is the designated pilot for the Crew Dragon spacecraft that took off from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida exactly at noon India time. After a 28-hour journey through space, the Dragon spacecraft will dock with the International Space Station around 4.30 pm India time Thursday, allowing the four astronauts to transfer to the only permanent research laboratory in space where they will spend the next two weeks, carrying out scientific experiments and engaging in science outreach events. Shukla's feat comes 41 years after Squadron Leader Rakesh Sharma — he later retired as Wing Commander — travelled to space on the then Soviet Union's Soyuz T-11 spacecraft and spent about eight days on board the Salyut 7 space station, one of the Soviet forerunners to the current International Space Station. Two other astronauts on the Axiom-4 mission, Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski from Poland and Tibor Kapu of Hungary, are also marking the return of their respective countries to space after more than four decades. For this reason, the mission has been given the theme 'Realize the Return'. The fourth astronaut, and commander of the mission, Peggy Whitson is a veteran of space travel, having made four earlier trips, with a record 675 days in space. 'What a ride. After 40 years, we are back in space. What a flight this is,' said Shukla in a short statement, 10 minutes after the launch, immediately after the spacecraft had separated from the rocket and entered an orbit around the Earth. 'Right now, we are going around the Earth at the speed of 7.5 km a second. On my shoulders is the Tiranga (Tricolour) that is telling me that I am not alone here, all of you are with me. This journey to the International Space Station is not my alone, this is the beginning of Bharat's human spaceflight programme,' Shukla said, addressing his countrymen in Hindi. 'I would like each one of you to become a part of this journey. You should also feel proud, you should also feel the excitement. Come, let us together mark the beginning of India's human spaceflight programme. Thank you. Jai Hind. Jai Bharat,' he said. Other astronauts also made similar statements. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in a post on X after the liftoff, said, 'We welcome the successful launch of the Space Mission carrying astronauts from India, Hungary, Poland and the US. The Indian Astronaut, Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla is on the way to become the first Indian to go to the International Space Station. He carries with him the wishes, hopes and aspirations of 1.4 billion Indians. Wish him and other astronauts all the success!' The Axiom-4 mission, originally scheduled to launch in May, faced multiple delays because of weather and technical problems. A small uncertainty hung over the launch Wednesday as well, even after the astronauts had entered the capsule, as some updated data took time to get uploaded to the spacecraft's software. Shukla was seen shuffling and shaking his legs as he waited, and exulted mildly when the all-clear was announced. ISRO chairman V Narayanan who, along with a ISRO team, had been in the US since the start of this month for the launch, said he was extremely happy that the mission had finally launched after all technical problems had been addressed. 'Today, we were 100% sure about the safety of not just our own astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla, but the other three brothers and sister who are going to space with him. Congratulations to all,' Narayanan told The Indian Express from the US. He said that he personally, and the team from ISRO, had been involved in the troubleshooting exercises, and had made sure that everything was fine ahead of the launch. 'If I had even 0.1% doubt, I would not have said OK to the launch,' he said. Narayanan said the spacecraft had entered a 200-km orbit, which will be raised to about 425 km over the 28-hour period before the docking takes place. The ISRO team would be travelling from the Florida launch centre to Houston, Texas to witness the docking from the command centre. Shukla was among four IAF pilots selected for the Gaganyaan programme, ISRO's maiden attempt at sending humans into space. The first human spaceflight mission under this programme was originally scheduled for 2022 to coincide with 75 years of India's independence. But the programme has faced delays, and it is now expected to take place in 2027. In the meanwhile, a new collaboration between ISRO and NASA in 2023 opened the opportunity for an Indian to travel on a private mission facilitated by NASA. This is how Shukla's participation in the Axiom-4 mission came about. The liftoff was greeted with loud cheers and clapping at the auditorium of the CSIR headquarters in New Delhi where Science Minister Jitendra Singh and many scientists and dignitaries, including Australian High Commissioner to India Philip Green, had gathered to watch the launch on video. 'This was destined to happen under the leadership of Prime Minister Modi. And I am saying so because the space reforms which happened a couple of years ago have given a quantum leap to India's endeavours. Imagine, ISRO was set up in the year 1969, when NASA accomplished the landing of the first human on the Moon. Today, we have landed near the southern pole of the Moon before anyone else. And we are now collaborating with NASA as an equal partner. India is no longer a follower,' Singh said. The Axiom-4 mission is being operated and managed by Axiom Space, a private US space company. The Falcon 9 rocket and the Dragon spacecraft used in the mission have come from SpaceX, the world's largest private space corporation. NASA offered access to its facilities, including the International Space Station, and training to the astronauts. Anonna Dutt is a Principal Correspondent who writes primarily on health at the Indian Express. She reports on myriad topics ranging from the growing burden of non-communicable diseases such as diabetes and hypertension to the problems with pervasive infectious conditions. She reported on the government's management of the Covid-19 pandemic and closely followed the vaccination programme. Her stories have resulted in the city government investing in high-end tests for the poor and acknowledging errors in their official reports. Dutt also takes a keen interest in the country's space programme and has written on key missions like Chandrayaan 2 and 3, Aditya L1, and Gaganyaan. She was among the first batch of eleven media fellows with RBM Partnership to End Malaria. She was also selected to participate in the short-term programme on early childhood reporting at Columbia University's Dart Centre. Dutt has a Bachelor's Degree from the Symbiosis Institute of Media and Communication, Pune and a PG Diploma from the Asian College of Journalism, Chennai. She started her reporting career with the Hindustan Times. When not at work, she tries to appease the Duolingo owl with her French skills and sometimes takes to the dance floor. ... Read More
Hindustan Times
an hour ago
- Hindustan Times
‘What a ride': Indian in space after 41-year gap
At 12:01PM (IST) on Wednesday, flames erupted beneath a Falcon 9 rocket at Kennedy Space Center as Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla lifted off from American soil. 'Namaskar, my dear countrymen,' the Indian Air Force officer said ten minutes later, his voice crackling from orbit — the first words spoken by the second Indian in space: 'After 40 years, we have returned to space again, kya kamaal ki ride thi (what a ride this has been)'. (Above) IAF Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla (second from left) with his three crewmates — veteran US astronaut and commander Peggy Whitson, Polish engineer Sławosz Uznański and Hungarian researcher Tibor Kapu— aboard SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft on Wednesday. (Right) The Falcon 9 rocket carrying the Axiom-4 crew lifts off from Kennedy Space Center, Florida. (Space-X) The mission launched Wednesday is in stark contrast to the one that took Wing Commander Rakesh Sharma to space in 1984. While Sharma had launched from the windswept steppes of Kazakhstan, aboard a Soviet Soyuz as part of Cold War space diplomacy, Shukla rode a sleek Dragon capsule named Grace built by a private American company from the swamps of Florida. Where Sharma flew to the Soviet Salyut 7 station for a week-long mission to observe the Earth, Shukla headed to the International Space Station for a fortnight. Sharma's tasks included Earth observation—then still a matter of deep study—while Shukla carried with him 60 experiments from 31 countries. Sharma's mission had been an instrument of superpower politics; Shukla's marked a breakthrough for commercial spacefaring. Yet for all the technological and geopolitical transformation, one element remained unchanged: an Indian flag carried into orbit on an astronaut's shoulder, bearing the weight of a billion dreams. 'The Tiranga on my shoulders tells me that I am not alone and I am with all of you,' Shukla continued in Hindi as Earth rolled beneath him at 7.5km per second. 'This is not just the start of my journey to the International Space Station, but the beginning of India's human space programme, and I would like all my countrymen to be part of this journey,' said Shukla, who represents the Indian Space Research Organisation. The successful launch overcame a prolonged series of delays that had tested both technical systems and national patience. Originally scheduled for May 29, the Axiom-4 mission was put off five times due to issues ranging from technical problems with the Crew Dragon module to unfavourable weather conditions and a liquid oxygen leak in the Falcon 9 rocket. The final delay came from pressure concerns in the International Space Station's Russian Zvezda service module, requiring coordination between NASA and Roscosmos before clearance was granted. The crew was in a four-week quarantine period during which they shifted their sleep regimen to adjust their circadian rhythm to match that on ISS. At Launch Complex 39A, where Apollo missions once departed for the moon, the rocket carried a crew that represented four nations returning to space after decades of absence. Commander Peggy Whitson, America's most experienced female astronaut with 675 days in space, led the mission with Shukla as pilot and specialists Sławosz Uznański from Poland and Tibor Kapu from Hungary. A toy swan named Joy accompanied them as the mission's unofficial fifth crew member and zero-gravity indicator—a nod to the bird that represents wisdom and purity in Indian culture. Hours before launch, with Dragon's hatch sealed at 10:22 AM (IST) and all communication checks completed, Axiom Space had posted on social media: 'The seats are rotated, and the AX-4 crew is ready for launch!' The crew, quarantined since May 26 in what marked one of the longest isolation periods in modern spaceflight history, had endured weeks of preparation that included underwater escape drills and emergency scenario training. Eight thousand miles away in New Delhi, scientists and officials gathered at Anusandhan Bhawan erupted in cheers after the launch. Union minister Jitendra Singh, flanked by Australian High Commissioner Philip Green and South Australia Governor Frances Adamson, distributed sweets. When Shukla's message arrived from orbit, concluding with 'Jai Hind! Jai Bharat,' the celebration intensified. In Lucknow, Shukla's mother Asha Shukla held back tears, lost for words as celebrations erupted around her. 'Everyone is happy. These are tears of joy.' 'India's ascent to the pedestal of Viksit Bharat has started via space,' Singh declared, calling the mission a vindication of space pioneers Vikram Sarabhai and Satish Dhawan under Prime Minister Modi's leadership. 'India is no longer a follower but an equal partner in all collaborations.' Prime Minister Narendra Modi, posting on social media as the mission proceeded, stated: 'The Indian astronaut, Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla is on the way to become the first Indian to go to International Space Station. He carries with him the wishes, hopes and aspirations of 1.4 billion Indians.' The 39-year-old pilot's journey to orbit had begun in Lucknow, where he was born before joining the Indian Air Force fighter wing in June 2006. Rising to Group Captain in March 2024, Shukla accumulated 2,000 flight hours as a combat leader and test pilot. His selection under Isro's Human Spaceflight Programme led to rigorous year-long training at the Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Centre in Star City, Moscow, where he prepared alongside training for India's upcoming Gaganyaan programme. Hours before launch, his wife Kamna and six-year-old son Sid appeared in a pre-flight video, cheering him on with the words: 'You are our hero.' The mission also drew a message from India's first astronaut. In a video recorded before launch, Rakesh Sharma offered his blessing to the new generation: 'Greetings from India. Wishing all the very best to the crew. Godspeed and spend as much time as possible to look out of the window. Have a fun time, guys.' The mission carries scientific weight beyond its symbolic value. During their planned two-week stay aboard the ISS, the crew will conduct 60 experiments representing 31 countries. Shukla will oversee seven Indian-designed studies ranging from the impact of microgravity radiation on edible microalgae to examining the effect of microgravity on food crop seed growth. Additionally, he will undertake five ISRO-NASA collaborative experiments—research that could prove crucial for future long-duration missions and space settlements. The spacecraft is scheduled to dock with the ISS at 4:30 PM IST on June 26, following a 28-hour journey through space. The mission represents a collaborative effort between Texas-based Axiom Space, SpaceX, and NASA, marking the fourth private astronaut mission to the space station and demonstrating how commercial partnerships have transformed access to low-Earth orbit. For India's space programme, Shukla's mission serves as a crucial stepping stone toward indigenous capabilities. Former ISRO chairpersons S Somanath and K Sivan in past conversations told HT that the experience and learnings would directly benefit the Gaganyaan mission and plans for the Bharatiya Antariksh Station. The department of space has termed the mission strategically important, focusing on operational readiness and global integration as India positions itself as a serious contender in human space exploration. Singh indicated that the mission's success would accelerate legislative progress on the Space Activities Bill, which has been under development since 2017 but has yet to reach Parliament. The bill calls for greater public-private partnership in India's space programmes, reflecting the collaborative model demonstrated by the Ax-4 mission and the broader shift toward commercial space ventures. The immediate horizon holds additional milestones. Singh said the next major launch would be the Nasa-Isro Synthetic Aperture Radar mission, originally planned for February but now expected 'anytime soon this year' following technical adjustments. The NISAR mission will measure Earth's changing ecosystems, dynamic surfaces, and ice masses, providing crucial data on biomass, natural hazards, sea level rise, and groundwater across the planet with observations every six days for a baseline three-year mission. Further ahead lies Gaganyaan, India's independent human spaceflight programme, and the complex Chandrayaan-4 mission featuring docking operations planned for 2028. Both are part of India's broader ambitions in space, from lunar exploration to establishing a sustainable human presence in orbit through its planned space station.
India Gazette
an hour ago
- India Gazette
"Rahul Gandhi hails Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla's journey to ISS, says he carries forward Rakesh Sharma's legacy
New Delhi [India], June 25 (ANI): Congress leader and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday congratulated Indian Air Force Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla on his journey to the International Space Station (ISS) as part of the Axiom Mission 4, calling it a proud moment for the country. In an X post, Gandhi highlighted the historic significance of the mission, noting that it comes more than four decades after Squadron Leader Rakesh Sharma became the first Indian to travel to space in 1984. He said Group Captain Shukla now carries that legacy forward. 'A proud moment for every Indian as Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla launches off on his journey to the International Space Station,' Rahul Gandhi wrote. '41 years after Squadron Leader Rakesh Sharma became the first Indian in space, he now carries forward that legacy, inspiring every Indian. Wishing him and the team a safe and successful return. Jai Hind! Jai Bharat,' he added. Earlier in the day, the Union Cabinet congratulated Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, the first Indian to travel to the International Space Station (ISS), and praised the successful launch of Axiom Mission 4. Reading out a resolution passed by the Cabinet, Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said,'We welcome the successful launch of the space mission carrying astronauts from India, Hungary, Poland and the US. The Indian astronaut, Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, is on the way to become the first Indian to go to the International Space Station. He carries with him the wishes, hopes and aspirations of 1.4 billion Indians. The Cabinet wishes him and other astronauts all the success.' Group Captain Shukla, an Indian Air Force officer, is part of the international crew aboard Axiom Mission 4, launched earlier in the day. His journey marks a historic milestone for India, as he becomes the first Indian astronaut to visit the ISS. Union Minister Jitendra Singh also hailed the mission, calling Prime Minister Narendra Modi's decision to open India's space sector to private players a 'turning point' that led to a 'miraculous' transformation. He said the sector could grow to 40-45 billion US dollars in the next decade. 'I think one of the greatest turning points in India's space journey has been PM Modi's pathbreaking decision to allow the private sector to step in. The change has been miraculous. The transformation in the last 4-5 years, there are thousands of crores of investment happening from the private sector,' Singh told ANI. Speaking about the future of space exploration, Singh added, 'Our future projections indicate that in about 8-10 years we might go up to 4-5 times higher, about 40-45 billion US dollars. So, the opening of the space for the private sector was a very courageous decision which could have been taken only by a political dispensation with a tremendous amount of conviction and willpower.' Referring to the significance of Axiom Mission 4, the minister said, 'I think it will be a good experience also for future missions. This, coupled with Chandrayaan-4, also for missions like Bharat Space Station, which we plan to have by 2035 and for prolonged stay in space or in microgravity conditions, what are the arrangements to be put in place will also be learnt through the experiments to be conducted by Shubhanshu.' Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated the crew of Axiom Mission 4, writing on X, 'We welcome the successful launch of the Space Mission carrying astronauts from India, Hungary, Poland and the US. The Indian Astronaut, Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, is on the way to become the first Indian to go to the International Space Station. He carries with him the wishes, hopes and aspirations of 1.4 billion Indians. Wish him and other astronauts all the success!' In a separate post on X, Singh praised Shukla's historic journey: 'Congratulations, Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, you are the first Indian Astronaut to embark on a mission to the International Space Station. Indeed, a proud moment for India! ISRO's growing global collaborations, after the reforms introduced by the government headed by PM Narendra Modi, have placed India as a frontline nation in space exploration.' Singh also mentioned that Group Captain Shukla will conduct seven scientific experiments designed by Indian institutions during his stay aboard the ISS. He paid tribute to space pioneers Vikram Sarabhai and Satish Dhawan, whose vision laid the foundation for India's space ambitions. The Axiom Mission 4 launched from NASA's Kennedy Space Centre in Florida at 2:31 am Eastern Time (noon IST) aboard a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft from Launch Complex 39A. (ANI)
