Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kanpur Aeronautics department developed an unmanned drone-helicopter, in collaboration with a startup EndureAir. "It operates on petrol and can carry weight up to 5 kilograms. It is meant for long-endurance surveillance and can also be used for vaccine distribution," said Abhishek, professor, Aerospace engineering department.
He added, "Trials till the height of 11,500 feet have been successful. However, the engine keeps getting less powerful with increasing height. So, we are working on another version which will be battery-powered and can reach more heights. We hope it will get ready in two to three months." The drone-helicopter gets its location using Global Positioning System (GPS). "We are applying for government permissions. It can carry a load of 5 kilograms till about 50 kilometres now. We need certain permissions to start long-range trials," he further remarked.