Aiming to facilitate long-range communication and radar applications in remote areas with no communication infrastructure, a team of researchers at the Ropar-based Indian Institute of Technology is working on a completely indigenised drone that will operate using swarm-based beamforming technology.
The Indian Space Research Organisation-backed project is being led by Dr Shashi Shekhar Jha (Principal Investigator), Dr Satyam Agarwal (Principal Co-Investigator), Vaasu Gupta (Junior Research Fellow), and Ishaan Chhabra (Junior Research Fellow). Work on the drone swarm-based beamforming is underway at the institute’s Centre of Drones and Autonomous Systems (CoDRAS).
Speaking to The Statesman, Dr Jha, Coordinator of CoDRAS, stated that while ISRO is funding the project, it has also garnered interest from the Indian Army. “Both imported drones and those assembled in India using foreign technology or components have a high risk of interception. This poses a threat to communication channels, especially during war-like situations or natural calamities,” he said.
Divulging the details of beamforming, Dr Jha said that it is a technique used in wireless communication and other fields to focus signal energy in a specific direction. “Instead of broadcasting signals in all directions, beamforming uses multiple antennas to transmit or receive signals, and by adjusting the phase and amplitude of these signals, it creates a directional ‘beam’ of focused energy,” he said.
Vaasu Gupta, a PhD in Computer Science, shared the details of the ongoing project, stating that under the project, a swarm of drones equipped with software-defined radios is deployed to conceive a phased array radar for beamforming applications.
“However, a major challenge in distributed beamforming using a drone swarm is the accurate estimation of communication channel parameters and near-perfect coordination and synchronisation of drone antenna elements. The problem is further increased because of the continuous motion and noisy flight dynamics of multiple drones in the swarm,” he said.
Dr Satyam Agarwal explained that the project approaches beamforming using a drone swarm as a combined problem, aiming to get the best signal quality while keeping the drones accurately positioned, all within certain frequency and phase limits. “To handle this complex task, the team used advanced learning models that help the drones learn how to work together in a way that boosts signal strength,” he said, adding that the project is being tested in real-world conditions using a small group of mini-drones, each capable of carrying 0.5 to 1 kg of payload.
The project is likely to be completed by next year; the team is hopeful. “Apart from helping the ISRO, which will use this technology primarily during the launches, and the Indian Army, it will also be helpful for those industries working in remote corners in the absence of any communication channel,” said Dr Jha.
The team is hopeful of completing the project by next year. “Apart from helping the ISRO, where the technology will be primarily used during the launches, and the Indian Army, it will also benefit industries operating in remote areas without any communication channel,” said Dr Jha.