DRDO Scientists Developing Humanoid Robot for Frontline Military Missions

Pune, May 10 – Scientists at the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) are actively working on a humanoid robot capable of participating in frontline military operations, with the goal of reducing risk to soldiers in high-threat environments.

As per agency report, the project is being spearheaded by the Research and Development Establishment (Engineers), one of DRDO’s premier laboratories, which is developing a robot that can perform complex tasks under direct human command.

S. E. Talole, Group Director of the Systems and Technologies for Advanced Robotics Centre at R&DE (Engineers), revealed that the team has been engaged in the development of this humanoid robot for the past four years. “We have developed separate prototypes for the upper and lower body, and during internal trials, the robot has successfully completed several tasks,” he said.

The robot is being designed to operate effectively in challenging terrains such as forests, where traditional machines might fail. The prototype was recently showcased at a national workshop on Advanced Legged Robotics held in Pune, where it drew considerable attention for its potential military applications.

The team is currently focusing on enhancing the robot's ability to interpret and execute operator commands, a crucial capability for real-time deployment in dynamic battlefield scenarios.