Hyderabad, Feb 28 (TNT): A two-day seminar on Robotics, Autonomous Drone Systems and Additive Manufacturing for Defence Forces concluded at the Military College of Electronics and Mechanical Engineering (MCEME), Secunderabad, on Saturday.
Organised under the aegis of Headquarters Army Training Command, the seminar served as a platform for interaction among the Armed Forces, industry, academia and policymakers to promote indigenous and future-ready warfighting capabilities, according to a defence release.
The deliberations focused on four core themes — Robotics and Autonomous Systems as tools transforming the 21st century battlespace; technology substacks for autonomous systems; defence and industrial readiness for robotics, autonomous and cyber-physical systems; and additive manufacturing as an enabler for autonomy.
In his opening address, Lt Gen Neeraj Varshney, Commandant, MCEME and Colonel Commandant, Corps of EME, said emerging and disruptive technologies are reshaping warfare into a multi-domain, multi-modal and increasingly non-kinetic construct.
He underlined that precision, speed and technological disruption are redefining conflict, and future success would hinge on effective exploitation of data and integrated cognitive-physical capabilities.
Delivering the keynote address, Lt Gen Rajiv Kumar Sahni, Director General EME and Colonel Commandant, Corps of EME, stressed the need to enhance operational preparedness and strategic deterrence through multi-domain operations, multi-sensor data fusion and mission-oriented architectures.
He highlighted interoperability, cyber resilience, human oversight and a whole-of-nation approach aligned with the Make in India initiative.
The seminar featured senior military leaders, technologists and industry experts. Among them were Air Chief Marshal V.R. Chaudhari (Retd), Lt Gen Ajay Kumar (DG Infantry), Air Marshal S.P. Dharkar (Retd) and Rear Admiral Prashant Handu, who spoke on autonomous operations across land, air and maritime domains.
Technology sessions by Prof P. Rajalakshmi of Indian Institute of Technology Hyderabad, Dr Spandan Roy of International Institute of Information Technology Hyderabad and Dhirendra N. Pandey of Bharat Electronics Limited covered autonomous architectures, resilient cyber-physical systems and counter-robotic and autonomous systems capabilities.
Industrial readiness discussions emphasised indigenous development, resilient supply chains and policy support.
The additive manufacturing session examined defence applications and emerging trends in advanced manufacturing technologies.
In his closing remarks, Lt Gen Neeraj Varshney said the character of future warfare is being fundamentally reshaped by the convergence of additive manufacturing, artificial intelligence and autonomous robotic systems, which would serve as integrated enablers of battle-ready systems for the Armed Forces.
He added that tomorrow’s battlefield would demand seamless integration of the three Services into a unified and networked battlespace.
TNT TS
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