The commercial launch of the drones being produced by Andhra Pradesh Innovation Society (APIS) at its research and development facility in Visakhapatnam will be done after obtaining certification for the four prototypes developed by it, CEO V. Valli Kumari has said.
Though there is a delay, the APIS, an autonomous society formed by the State government to encourage innovation culture, is confident of rolling out the drones for commercial operations in a few months. Certification for the prototypes by competent agencies in New Delhi is a prerequisite for commercial production.
Low-cost gadget
“The ‘Make in Andhra Pradesh’ drones will be available in the market once we get the statutory clearances. There is already a lot of enquiries to place indents with us,” Mr. V. Valli Kumari told
The Hindu
.
Various departments of the government want to deploy the drones for mapping various resources and spraying of pesticides and fertilizers. “Our drones will have a lot of demand as we want to market them at remarkably lower price,” she said.
The government has also set up the AP Drone Corporation as a subsidiary of the AP State Fibre Grid Limited to market the drones. The manufacturing facility of the APIS is located at Sunrise Incubation Hub here at Rushikonda.
The APIS is engaging startups in drone-making as part of the mission to promote innovation across the State. Drone cost depends on the high-resolution lens and accessories.
Centre of Excellence
Ms. Valli Kumari further said that they had decided to set up a Centre of Excellence on Internet of Things at Andhra University. The facility would come up on the Maddilapalem side of the university.
A ‘Centre of Open Innovation’ will also come up at AU where research facilities for IoT, cybersecurity, cloud computing, data analytics and other disruptive technologies as part of efforts to transform Andhra Pradesh into an IoT hub.
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