Jungleworks, IIT Ropar collaborate on drones' and self-driving cars' R&D

Jungleworks, an all-in-one technology suite for on-demand businesses, has entered into an agreement with the Indian Institute of Technology, Ropar on 21st May 2019 to explore joint research and development in emerging technologies like autonomous vehicles and Unmanned Aerial Vehicles.

The MoU was signed by Ripudaman Singh, Vice President Technology, Jungleworks, and Prof. Harpreet Singh, Dean - Industrial Consultancy, Sponsored Research and Industrial Interaction (ICSRII), IIT Ropar.

Under this MoU, IIT Ropar and Jungleworks will begin the collaboration on two projects. First, the development of fixed-wing Vertical Take-off And Landing (VTOL) drones and hybrid drones, which includes designing and prototyping of drones increasing endurance and battery capacity. Second, to build hardware for long range LIDAR sensor, which is the main component for self-driving cars and is quite expensive. Target will be to reduce the cost and manufacture these sensors indigenously. Research on autonomous vehicles will also focus on how to tackle road congestion under a collaborative and connected mobility model using Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, and 5G networks.

Commenting on the move, Ripudaman Singh, Vice President Technology, Jungleworks said, "The world has started to move deliberately towards a transportation system driven by technology. Apart from drones, autonomous vehicles are going to be the next renaissance shaking up the whole transportation industry. Jungleworks is focusing on the automation of logistics with drone technology and autonomous vehicles to provide a better experience to its customers."

"Jungleworks and Indian Institute of Technology, Ropar both come with their own set of expertise. This collaboration will forge the strengths of both the organizations and deep research capabilities in the field of autonomous vehicles and drones. It is a very progressive step in this domain and we hope to develop a viable partnership," said Prof. Harpreet Singh, Dean - Industrial Consultancy, Sponsored Research and Industrial Interaction (ICSRII), IIT Ropar.

This collaboration is also expected to help boost government initiatives like Make In India by laying the foundation for the research of future technologies like drones, connected vehicles, and AI that forms the core of Industry 4.0. Jungleworks and IIT Ropar will engage in the sharing of resources for various research projects and academic programs. These projects are interdisciplinary in nature and hence, require experts from various fields of engineering such as Mechanical, Electrical, and Computer Science. Jungleworks will also provide internship opportunities to the students of IIT Ropar.