IIT Guwahati’s aeromodelling club aims to develop smart drones for general public

The aeromodelling club of Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Guwahati is encouraging students to harness creativity, technology and innovation in aeromodelling. It aims to develop smart drones for common people. 

The club has developed various types of drones, including ‘warehouse drone’ for warehouse management, ‘reaper drone’ for military and law enforcement, ‘ornithopter’ based on the design of birds which can be used for surveillance in tight spaces, for wildlife photography and ‘RAVEN,’ an indigenously developed VTOL (vertical takeoff and landing) capable fixed-winged aircraft. 

Apart from these projects, students have also developed a drone capable of firing at targets with high precision. The firing mechanism is designed in such a way that it returns to its previous position waiting for the pilot's command for the next firing. 

Prof Chivukula Vasudeva Sastri, Department of Chemistry, IIT Guwahati, said, “I have watched the students of the aeromodelling club work very closely, and the amount of passion and effort they put into developing aerial robots is just amazing. Their consistent top performances in both internal and external competitions speak for themselves.” 

Set up as an informal group in 2013 by students interested in aerodynamics and registered as an official club of IIT Guwahati in 2015, the aeromodelling club has been associated with multiple events both within and outside the campus. Over the years, the club has been conducting training workshops in various fields such as aircraft design, computer vision, and RC aircraft hardware.  

Sharing his experience of working on drones, Rishikesh Das, a third-year student from the Department of Mechanical Engineering, IIT Guwahati, said, “I have always been fascinated by RC planes. It has been a wonderful opportunity for me to explore aircraft design and understand the aerodynamics of planes. The number of potential drones has excited me even more. Working on projects at the aeromodelling club is a wonderful feeling, to be able to contribute to society and find answers to existing problems.” 

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