In a landmark breakthrough poised to transform Indian agriculture, the department of mechanical engineering at IIT Kharagpur has developed a cutting-edge semi-automatic tracked mobile manipulator cum agricultural robotic system. The innovation, spearheaded by Prof. Dilip Kumar Pratihar and a team of PhD and project students, has recently been granted an Indian patent.

Designed to navigate real agricultural terrains and perform precision tasks, the intelligent robot marks a significant leap in agricultural automation. Unlike drone-based systems—which often generate noisy image data due to aerial turbulence—the ground-based robot uses camera-based image analysis for accurate plant disease detection, followed by the targeted application of pesticides.

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Prof. Pratihar first unveiled the concept in 2018 during a national seminar hosted by CDAC Kolkata, titled “Trends and Applications of ICT in Agriculture (TRACT).” At the time, he emphasized the need for a solution that could adapt to India’s varied farming conditions. “Agricultural land is neither completely flat nor uniformly rough,” he said, advocating a tracked mobile platform equipped with a robotic arm that mimics human hand movements.

The result of this vision is a rugged, semi-automatic robot designed for real-time field operations. It houses a serial manipulator mounted on a tracked chassis, enabling it to traverse uneven terrain while performing complex agricultural tasks with high precision.

The project received funding from the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, Government of India. According to the developers, the robotic system not only minimizes the health risks posed to farmers during manual pesticide spraying but also ensures food safety by reducing pesticide overuse. By tackling plant diseases early and effectively, it can help prevent crop loss and boost overall yield, positively impacting India’s agricultural economy.

Manufactured by the Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) TECHNIDO, the robot has already undergone successful field testing. A video demonstrating its real-time operation is currently available for public viewing, underscoring the system’s practical potential.

The patent has been awarded to Prof. Pratihar, along with co-inventors Pradeep Nahak, Atanu Jana, and others involved in the project.

With this innovation, IIT Kharagpur continues to reinforce its legacy of pioneering research with real-world impact—offering a technological lifeline to the nation’s farmers and laying the groundwork for a smarter, more sustainable future in Indian agriculture.