The Mirror reports that 14-year-old Harshwardhan Zala from the western state of Gujarat in India has struck a $730,000 deal with the Indian Government for his invention of an anti-landmine drone which can help to detect and defuse hidden bombs in fields.
The drone is equipped with an infrared sensor, an RGB sensor, a thermal meter, a 21 megapixel camera with a mechanical shutter which can take high quality images. It can hover for about 2 feet above the ground and can send waves over a 9 square yards of surface at a time. The waves detect landmines and can send out their exact location to an army base. The drone also carries a tiny explosive weighing 0.1 pounds that can easily detonate the landmine. The invention is said to be better than anything the army currently uses.
Zala has set up his own company, Aerobotics, through which he intends to invent more such gadgets in the future. Dr. Narottam Sahu, head of the Gujarat Council on Science and Technology said, “An MoU has been signed with him and in the coming days the Gujarat government will work with him on this project.”
