IIT-H, Army Join Hands For Defence Tech Hub
IIT-H, Army launch VIGRAHA for def. tech
Hyderabad:In a push to accelerate indigenous defence technology, IIT Hyderabad and the Indian Army’s Simulator Development Division (SDD) have set up a Centre of Excellence (CoE) titled VIGRAHA — short for Virtual, Intelligent, Ground-breaking Research in AR/VR & High-tech Applications for Indian Army.
The CoE, inaugurated at IIT-H through a formal MoU with the Army Training Command (Shimla), will focus on emerging technologies such as augmented and virtual reality, artificial intelligence, robotics, unmanned systems and defence-grade drones. Officials said the centre aims to co-develop tailor-made solutions to meet the Army’s evolving simulation and operational requirements.
Representing the Army’s SDD were Brigadier A.K. Chaturvedi, Col Hari Om Ahlawat and Lt Col Anupam Porwal. From IIT-H, the initiative is being led by director Prof. B.S. Murty, Prof. G. Narahari Sastry (dean, Sponsored Research & Consultancy) and Dr Shiva Ji (associate professor and principal investigator).
Speaking on this occasion, Prof. Murty said the collaboration demonstrates defence-academia synergy and will support India’s push towards Atmanirbhar Bharat in military technology. The MoU includes joint research, academic programmes, internships, shared facilities and incubator-level innovation projects.
Set up in 1991, the Army’s SDD is the nodal agency for simulator design and is now expanding into AI, AR/VR and robotics. Officials said VIGRAHA will enhance operational readiness through locally built, state-of-the-art training and battlefield simulation tools.
