Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) join to develop indigenous sensor tech for Army and Indian Air Force (IAF) high-altitude operations.

Key facts

• Defence Institute of Physiology and Allied Sciences (DIPAS) under DRDO and Central Scientific Instruments Organisation (CSIO) under CSIR will jointly develop wearable sensors for real-time physiological monitoring of defence personnel in varied environmental and service conditions.
• Joint research will assess how extreme temperatures, high altitude and hypoxia affect soldiers’ cognitive performance and decision-making abilities.
• Studies will also examine impact of high-altitude air operations on pilots’ judgment, reaction time and overall mission effectiveness.
• After the 2020 stand-off with China along the Line of Actual Control (LAC), sustained military deployment in extreme high-altitude areas became the new normal, giving unprecedented impetus to R&D for supporting troops.
• Post-2020, India inducted over 68,000 soldiers, around 90 tanks, 330 BMP infantry combat vehicles, radar systems, artillery guns and other equipment; Indian Air Force deployed fighters, attack helicopters and surveillance aircraft to bolster defence capabilities.
• CSIO, a constituent laboratory of Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), focuses on research, design and development of scientific and industrial instruments and has worked on armed-force projects involving sensors and electro-optics.
• DIPAS undertakes physiological and biomedical research to improve performance and well-being of soldiers in harsh desert and high-altitude conditions, covering military physiology, life support systems, ergonomics, clinical and cellular biochemistry, anthropometric data compilation, nutrition, man-machine interface and occupational health.