IIT Delhi and Indian Air Force join hands for AI-powered research on aviation textile

Image Courtesy: indiaeducationdiary.in

In order to work together on developing cutting-edge technologies for aviation textiles, the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi and the Headquarters Maintenance (HQ) Command, Indian Air Force Nagpur, have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU).

In compliance with the terms of the Memorandum of Understanding, aviation grade textiles, self-reliance, obsolescence management, upgrades, and digitisation through Indigenisation are the areas of research and development that IIT Delhi and HQ Maintenance, IAF Nagpur, will collaborate on.

The Memorandum of Understanding was signed in front of Group Captain Asit Kumar (Chief of Planning & Production 16 BRD, AF), Wing Commander Arun Manohar (Chief of Quality Assurance 16 BRD, AF), Professor R. Alagirusamy (Head of the Textile and Fibre Engineering Department at IIT Delhi), and Professor Bipin Kumar (Project Coordinator at IIT Delhi).

According to Group Captain Prashant Pathak, Commanding Officer 16 BRD, AF, the following are some areas of interest for cooperation:

Raw material selection (textile/fabric) for various parachute and safety equipment.

Creation of cutting-edge tools and methods for technical textile and fabric testing, as well as the most recent standards that may be incorporated into designs for safety gear and parachute products.

Applying robotics, artificial intelligence, and image technology to textile and fabric raw materials and finished goods quality acceptance testing.

Develop innovative machine learning-based imaging technologies for finished goods that are received from field units for repair, such as canopies for cargo, braking, or pilot parachutes, related harnesses, and crew restraint systems.

Studying the design and development, dependability, simulation, and life extension of parachutes and related accessories.

Prof. Rajendra Singh, Associate Dean, R&D, IIT Delhi, emphasised the importance of this partnership in response to the growing call for indigenisation from the Indian defence industry. He emphasised the potential to develop innovative solutions for a wide range of textile goods that are appropriate for use in aviation by combining the state-of-the-art research of IIT Delhi with the practical knowledge of the Indian Air Force.

Prof. Bipin Kumar, Project Coordinator from the Department of Textile and Fibre Engineering, IIT Delhi, states that the partnership between IIT Delhi and HQ Maintenance, IAF Nagpur, is expected to advance India’s defence technical self-reliance.