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CHENNAI (BNS): Indian Army will soon induct unmanned remote controlled ground vehicles into their forces.

According to a news report in the English daily, The Hindu, the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) is preparing a road map for the induction of unmanned ground vehicles into the Indian Army.

"The Indian Army had agreed to induct 20 Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROVs), developed by the DRDO's R&D establishment in Pune," S. Sundaresh, Chief Controller Research and Development, Armament and Combat Engineering, DRDO, was quoted as saying in the news report.

DRDO Daksh is an electrically powered and remotely controlled robot used for locating, handling and destroying hazardous objects safely. A battery-operated robot on wheels its primary role is to recover improvised explosive devices (IEDs).

It locates IEDs with an X-ray machine, picks them up with a gripper-arm and defuses them with a jet of water. Daksh has a shotgun which can break open locked doors, and it can scan cars for explosives. It can even climb staircases, negotiate steep slopes, navigate narrow corridors and tow vehicles.

DRDO officials held a meeting with the Indian Army's Director-General (Perspective Planning) a few weeks ago and the road map for induction of unmanned ground vehicles would be ready in the next few months.

Mr. Sundaresh was in Chennai to inaugurate the "Driving Innovation - DRDO Student Robot Competition 2010" at the Combat Vehicles Research and Development Establishment (CVRDE) at Avadi.