India conducts survey looking for resources hiding in Indian Ocean Basin (GS Paper 3, Science and Technology)
Why in news?
- In a significant stride towards bolstering the blue economy, India has surveyed the Central Indian Ocean Basin to identify elements hiding in the deep sea.
- The effort has been spearheaded by the Deep Ocean Mission, which aims to delve into the uncharted depths of the ocean to unlock its hidden treasures.
What was the survey about?
- The extensive survey and exploration activities have been conducted in the Central Indian Ocean Basin. These efforts have focused on the extraction of polymetallic nodules, rich deposits containing essential metals such as Nickel, Cobalt, Copper, and Manganese.
- These minerals are crucial for various industries, including electronics and renewable energy sectors.
- Moreover, the mission has cast its net wider, reaching out to the Central and South West Indian ridges.
Findings:
- The researchers have discovered promising locations indicative of hydrothermal activity and zones rich in sulphide mineralisation, which include valuable metals like Copper and Zinc.
- These findings are not just academic; they represent potential gateways to new resources that could significantly contribute to India's economy.
- The Deep Ocean Mission is not only about resource extraction but also about understanding and preserving marine biodiversity, assessing environmental impacts, and developing cutting-edge technologies for deep-sea exploration.
- India's ambitious Samudrayaan project also aims at exploring the deep ocean and its resources. It will send three personnel to a depth of 6000 meters in a submersible vehicle.
Samudrayaan project:
- The Samudrayaan project is expected to be realised by 2026 and is being designed and developed by the National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT) in Chennai.
- The submersible vehicle, named 'MATSYA 6000', has an endurance of 12 hours under normal operation and 96 hours in case of emergency for human
Cabinet approves MoU between India and Italy on Cooperation in IPR
(GS Paper 2, International Relation)
Why in news?
- The Union Cabinet recently gave its approval for signing of Memorandum of Understanding between the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade, India and the Directorate General for the Protection of Industrial Property-Italian Patent and Trademark Office of Italy on Cooperation in the field of Industrial Property Rights.
Details:
- The MoU will promote between the Participants the establishment of a mechanism that allows them to develop cooperation activities in the field of IP and information technology services related to this field.
Background:
- The purpose of the MoU is to support enterprises, especially start-ups and SMEs in accessing to and participating in the national and international IPR systems.
- The MoU also seeks to streamline the procedures related to processing of IPR applications, fostering IP awareness, encouraging IPR commercialization and enforcement.
- The activities under the MoU will provide an opportunity for exchange and dissemination of best practices, experiences and knowledge in the field of IPRs through the participation in programs and events, organized singly or jointly by the Participants.
DRDO carries out successful flight trial of Autonomous Flying Wing Technology Demonstrator
(GS Paper 3, Science and Technology)
Why in news?
- The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has successfully carried out a flight trial of Autonomous Flying Wing Technology Demonstrator, an indigenous high-speed flying-wing Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) from the Aeronautical Test Range, Chitradurga in Karnataka.
- With this flight in the tailless configuration, India has joined the elite club of countries to have mastered the controls for the flying wing technology.
Key Highlights:
- This UAV is designed and developed by DRDO’s Aeronautical Development Establishment.
- The maiden flight of this aircraft was demonstrated in July 2022, followed by six flight trials in various developmental configurations using two in-house manufactured prototypes.
- These flight-tests led to achievements in development of robust aerodynamic and control system; integrated real-time and hardware-in-loop simulation, and state-of-the-art Ground Control Station.
- The team had optimised the avionic systems, integration and flight operations towards the successful seventh flight in final configuration.
Characteristic features:
- The aircraft prototype, with a complex arrowhead wing platform, is designed and manufactured with light-weight carbon prepreg composite material developed indigenously.
- Also, the composite structure, impregnated with fibre interrogators for health monitoring, is a showcase of ‘Aatmanirbharta’ in the aerospace technology.
- The autonomous landing of this high-speed UAV, without the need for ground radars/infrastructure/pilot, showcased a unique capability demonstration, allowing take-off and landing from any runway with surveyed coordinates.
- This was possible using onboard sensor data fusion with indigenous satellite-based augmentation using GPS Aided GEO Augmented Navigation (GAGAN) receivers to improve the accuracy and integrity of GPS navigation.
Way Forward:
- The successful development of such critical technologies indigenously will further strengthen the Armed Forces.
