Student develops ‘Rakshak’ robot for defence ops

Lucknow: A third-year electronics and communication engineering student at Dr Shakuntala Mishra National Rehabilitation University, Aman Kumar Verma, has developed a prototype of an unmanned ground vehicle named ‘Rakshak’ to aid defence operations.

Designed for landmine detection, surveillance, bomb disposal and rescue missions, the robot can operate independently or be controlled remotely through IoT systems.

The project received Rs 11 lakh grant by the ministry of micro, small and medium enterprises at Idea Hackathon 5.0 to support testing, development and deployment.

“Rakshak” is equipped with a 360-degree camera, bomb disposal mechanism, landmine detection sensors and the ability to carry heavy loads, stated Verma.

“In the future, it will be integrated with the drone ‘Vaishnavastra’ to work together during missions. The drone will provide aerial surveillance, identify threats and send real-time data to the robot. Using this information, ‘Rakshak’ will navigate, detect mines and perform tasks safely,” said Verma.