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The Hindu
29-05-2025
- Science
- The Hindu
SMVIT, Bengaluru celebrates college day ‘Sambhrama 2025'
: Sir M. Visvesvaraya Institute of Technology (SMVIT), Bengaluru, marked its annual college day, 'Sambhrama 2025,' on May 24 with a celebration of academic and cultural excellence. Ananda C.M., programme director for civil aircrafts and chief scientist at the National Aerospace Laboratories (NAL), Bengaluru, was present at the event as chief guest. Addressing the gathering, Mr. Ananda encouraged students to think ambitiously, adopt technological advancements, and contribute to the legacy of their institution. He highlighted the value of goal setting, confidence, and perseverance, urging students to stay grounded while aiming high. He stressed the importance of sound decision-making, leadership, and sustained effort as key drivers of success. Outstanding achievements in academics, sports, and cultural activities were recognised with awards. Faculty members were also honoured for their significant research and scholarly contributions.
Time of India
19-05-2025
- Science
- Time of India
India's HAP prototype, built for border patrol, complete's key test
BENGALURU: India's indigenous high-altitude platform (HAP) project has completed another flight test campaign — crucial pre-monsoon flight tests with an upgraded certified autopilot system — of its subscale prototype developed by the National Aerospace Laboratories (NAL). Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The solar-powered stratospheric vehicle , which navigated through cloud cover during back-to-back test flights between May 8 and 13, holds the potential to boost India's border security infrastructure and surveillance technology, once ready. The tests were carried out at the Aeronautical Test Range (ATR) in Challakere in Chitradurga, some 200km from the city. The HAP now utilises a certified sensor redundant control system hardware, enabling fully autonomous vehicle operation through custom control laws, navigation algorithms, and automated fail safes for all possible scenarios. In simpler terms, it now has a certified autopilot system. 'By developing proprietary systems rather than adopting the open-source approach common among UAV developers nationally and globally, NAL has joined the select few organisations worldwide pursuing certification—a critical requirement for integration into the national airspace system,' L Venkatakrishnan, programme director of HAP at NAL, told TOI. The recent tests demonstrated the platform's capability to maintain flight even with reduced energy production due to cloud cover, with the vehicle successfully reaching altitudes of 24,000 feet (FL240 in aviation terminology). The subscale prototype, with a 12-metre wingspan weighing less than 22kg, has already achieved flight endurance of more than 8.5 hours at altitudes of almost 7km above mean sea level during tests conducted in May last year, using an open source auto-pilot system. Border patrolling The certified autopilot system, Venkatakrishnan said, is robust enough to enable completely autonomous flight without human intervention. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now 'This is the same autopilot which will work on the full-scale vehicle we are building,' he said. Though functioning as a testbed for aerodynamic design and subsystems intended for the full-scale model, the subscale HAP offers significant capabilities in its own right. 'With a payload capacity of nearly 1kg and an operating altitude of up to 25,000 feet, it can patrol hundreds of miles of national borders that would otherwise require human presence. Additional applications include geoinformatics, meteorology, and crowd monitoring,' Venkatakrishnan said. The full-scale HAP will expand these capabilities, offering a 10kg payload capacity from 65,000 feet (20km) altitude with geographic persistence. IAF wants similar systems It's noteworthy that the Indian Air Force (IAF), earlier this month, issued a Request for Information (RFI) for such High-Altitude Platform Systems. However, no comparable system has yet been deployed globally for military or other purposes. Given the unique weather challenges of the Indian subcontinent and strategic considerations regarding asset availability during emergencies, indigenous development is critical. However, procurement will depend on how quickly indigenous systems like the one NAL is developing can become available to the armed forces and how efficiently they work. NAL expects its full-scale HAP to be ready for flight testing by the first quarter of 2026. Beyond military applications, the platform shows promising civilian use cases. The Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology, Pune, has expressed interest in using our HAP to deploy radiosondes for internal measurements of monsoon clouds, while telecommunications applications are also being explored. 'We are already ready to carry a 5G base station because in terms of power and size-weight it can easily do that,' Venkatakrishnan said, highlighting the platform's potential to serve as an aerial telecommunications relay.
Time of India
27-04-2025
- General
- Time of India
Use & throw nightmare
A fridge fished out of a Bengaluru lake tells us what's in store as upgrades replace repairs in consumer culture It's true, Bengaluru's lakes sometimes catch fire. Because there's so much garbage that it simply overwhelms the water. This sight, if not the fires, at least not so far, is a familiar one at water bodies across the country. What feels even more overwhelming is how every cleanup points to the need for bigger and better efforts. At Madiwala lake, which suffers a severe water hyacinth infestation, an airboat called Jaldost, designed by the National Aerospace Laboratories, has already pulled out over 20 tonnes of waste. But what all makes up this waste? Not just weeds. Not just plastic bags. But also mugs, books, pens, steel vessels. Both at home and at work, our dustbins are growing larger and larger. The detritus of modern life overflows. The garbage mounds lining our highways and railway tracks and culverts that we are constantly photoshopping out of our selfies, are the result of govts slacking. They have totally fallen out of step with how much, how fast today's Indians consume and create waste. Once, we used to marvel at bicycles being discarded into Amsterdam's canals. Today, Jaldost has fished out a refrigerator from Madiwala lake. We haven't embraced DIY culture with nearly the same enthusiasm. In India it's still possible to comfortably find someone to repair a shoe or an air-conditioner, to reupholster the family sofa, to appreciate a hand-me-down silk sari or door or carpet or book. Our neighbourhoods still have carpenters, cobblers, tailors, mechanics, carrying forward our reuse and recycle heritage. Of course the less it's patronised the faster it will die, and as that Madiwala fridge tells us, so will our lakes and forests. Imagine all our refuse and rubbish invading all our surroundings like relentless water hyacinth. Have a rethink. Choose repairing over replacing. Facebook Twitter Linkedin Email This piece appeared as an editorial opinion in the print edition of The Times of India.
