IIT Guwahati launches commercial drone flying school with industry partners

The Indian Institute of Technology in Guwahati has partnered with industry leaders Assam Electronics Development Corporation Limited and R C Hobbytech Solutions to launch a commercial drone flying school on campus. The Memorandum of Understanding signed by IIT Guwahati aims to boost research, development, training, and manufacturing in the drone industry, with a focus on using drones in fields such as agriculture, disaster management, wildlife conservation and healthcare.

IIT Guwahati's officiating director Parameswar K Iyer signed the MoU and the Managing director of AMTRON S Sundar and co-founder of RCH Biswajit Dey signed the MoU on Wednesday, January 18. "The three organisations will work in tandem and engage actively in research and development activities and the members of IITG Drone Centre and Technology Incubation Hub will be an integral part in this endeavour", the release quoted Iyer as saying.

The commercial drone flying school established by the Indian Institute of Technology in Guwahati, in partnership with Assam Electronics Development Corporation Limited and R C Hobbytech Solutions, will offer fresh courses in drone flying, as well as consultancy services including renewing drone flying licenses, obtaining commercial drone permits, and preparing students for drone flying tests. The school will also connect students with organizations in need of professional drone services.

The professional courses offered will include a variety of services such as drone-based survey and mapping, Geographic Information Systems courses, and coding and AI-related curricula. Additionally, the partners will initially work on developing prototype drones to be certified by the Quality Council of India, and the institute will provide all necessary machinery, software, hardware and other equipment for the same, as per a PTI report.

The institute is developing a disaster response management system that will quickly detect disasters in Assam and deploy a team of students and professionals with ready-to-use surveillance drones for emergency response. The institute is also working on creating drones that are tailored to the needs of the state for disaster control and identification, and will receive technical support from RCH. AMTRON will provide communication support for the system.