DRDO scientists engage in humanoid robots for military missions to reduce the risk of troops
Pune, May 10: Scientists at the Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO) are working on a humanoid robot that can become a front-line military mission.
The official said R&D organizations (engineers) of key laboratories under DRDO are developing a machine that can perform complex tasks under direct human command to reduce troops exposure in high-risk environments.
PTI, a group director at the R&DE (Engineering) Center for Medium-Senior Robotics Technology, said the team had been working on the project for four years.
“We have developed separate prototypes for the upper and lower body and have successfully achieved certain functions in internal experiments,” he said, adding that humanoids will be able to play a role in difficult terrain like the jungle.
The robot was recently exhibited at a national seminar on advanced robotic robots in Pune.
The team is currently in advanced development stages, focusing on improving the robot’s ability to understand and execute operator commands.
The system relies on three key components: actuators, which produce motion like human muscles, sensors, sensors that collect real-time data from their surroundings, and control systems that interpret that information to guide movements.
“One of the biggest challenges is ensuring that the robot can perform the tasks required smoothly, which requires mastering balance, rapid data processing and ground execution,” Tallor said.
Kiran Akella, a scientist who leads the design team, said researchers will focus on these aspects as they move towards completing the project in 2027.
DRDO officials say robots for bipedal and tetrapods have great potential in both defense and security, as well as areas such as healthcare, family assistance, space exploration and manufacturing.
However, creating autonomous, efficient leg robots poses a significant technical barrier.
The scientists explained that the upper body of the humanoid will have lightweight arms with a ball-shaped connection configuration, each providing 24 degrees of freedom 7, a grip force of 4 and a head with 2.
They say the robot will be able to perform complex autonomous tasks through closed-loop grip and manipulate objects by turning, pushing, pulling, sliding doors, opening valves and overcoming obstacles, especially in high-risk environments.
Both weapons will cooperate to deal with hazardous materials such as mines, explosives and liquids.
The system will operate seamlessly indoors or outdoors, combining proprioception and external sensing sensors, data fusion capabilities, tactical sensing and audio-visual perception.
The humanoid leaf shape will include fall and push recovery, real-time map generation, automatic navigation, and path planning through simultaneous positioning and mapping (SLAM), enabling it to perform complex autonomous operations in challenging high-risk environments.
