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Woman Robot Astronaut 'Vyommitra' to Accompany Gaganyaan Mission into Space

India's space exploration endeavors are set to achieve another significant milestone as a woman robot astronaut named 'Vyommitra' is scheduled to fly into space ahead of the Gaganyaan mission. What role will Vyommitra play during this historic mission? Vyommitra: Simulating Human Functions in Space Vyommitra, the robot astronaut, has been developed by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) to simulate human functions in space. Equipped with advanced capabilities, Vyommitra is designed to monitor module parameters, issue alerts, and execute life support operations during the mission. A Friend in Space The name 'Vyommitra' is derived from two Sanskrit words: "Vyoma," meaning space, and "Mitra," meaning friend. This signifies the robot's role as a reliable companion during the Gaganyaan mission, assisting the crew and enhancing the safety and success of the mission. Functions and Interactions Vyommitra's functionalities are diverse and vital for the success of the mission. The robot astronaut can operate six panels, respond to queries, and interact with the life support system. These capabilities enable Vyommitra to perform tasks necessary for the smooth operation of the spacecraft and ensure the well-being of the crew during their journey in space. The Path to Gaganyaan Before the manned mission, ISRO has planned an uncrewed mission called Vyommitra, scheduled for the third quarter of this year. This precursor mission will test and validate the robot astronaut's capabilities and performance in the space environment, ensuring that all systems are fully functional before the human-manned mission. Preparing for Launch The Gaganyaan project aims to demonstrate India's human space capabilities by sending a crew of astronauts into an orbit of 400 kilometers and safely returning them to Earth. In preparation for this ambitious endeavor, ISRO successfully completed the Test Vehicle Flight TV D1 on October 21 last year. This test validated the crew escape system, parachute system, and human rating of the launch vehicle. Upcoming Milestones While Vyommitra's mission is set for this year, the Gaganyaan mission itself is scheduled for launch in 2025. The Gaganyaan mission will mark India's first-ever manned space flight, a significant achievement for the country's space program and a step towards broader scientific exploration. India's space exploration ambitions continue to soar as the country prepares to send a woman robot astronaut, Vyommitra, into space ahead of the Gaganyaan mission. With its ability to simulate human functions and interact with critical systems, Vyommitra will play a crucial role in ensuring the success and safety of the mission. As India advances its space program, the nation is set to carve out a prominent place in the realm of space exploration and scientific discovery.

6 Feb 2024
Good News

Indian Navy Ship INS Sumitra Foils Hijack Attempt on Fishing Vessel

The Indian Navy ship INS Sumitra successfully foiled a hijack attempt on a fishing vessel by Somali pirates. The swift response and coordinated efforts of the Indian Navy ensured the safe release of the hijacked vessel and its crew.  Coercing Pirates for Safe Release INS Sumitra, deployed in the Gulf of Aden and East coast of Somalia for anti-piracy operations, received a distress message regarding the hijacking of an Iranian flagged Fishing Vessel (FV) named Iman. The pirates had boarded the FV and taken the crew hostage. In a statement issued on January 29, the Navy stated, "INS Sumitra intercepted the vessel and acted in accordance with the established Standard Operating Procedures to coerce the pirates for the safe release of the crew along with the boat." As a result of the Navy's swift action, all 17 crew members were successfully rescued. Enhanced Maritime Surveillance Efforts The recent resurgence of piracy in the region has raised concerns, especially in the backdrop of Houthi drone and missile attacks on commercial shipping. In December, a Malta-flagged tanker was hijacked by Somali pirates. In response to these incidents, the Indian Navy has substantially enhanced its maritime surveillance efforts in the Central and North Arabian Sea. Currently, around 12 warships are deployed for anti-piracy and maritime security operations in the Arabian Sea and Gulf of Aden. Task Groups comprising destroyers and frigates have been deployed to undertake maritime security operations and provide assistance to merchant vessels in case of any incidents. Complete Maritime Domain Awareness To ensure a comprehensive understanding of the maritime domain, the Indian Navy has increased aerial surveillance using long-range maritime patrol aircraft and Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs). This enhancement in surveillance capabilities aims to provide complete maritime domain awareness and enable timely response to potential threats. Additionally, Navy commandos are conducting boarding and search operations on suspected vessels in international waters. Combating Piracy for Safe Passage The Indian Navy's successful rescue operation of the hijacked fishing vessel showcases its commitment to combating piracy in the region. The Navy's efforts not only safeguard the lives of seafarers but also ensure the free and safe passage of maritime trade. By maintaining a strong presence and actively responding to distress calls, the Indian Navy plays a crucial role in maintaining security and stability in the maritime domain. The Indian Navy ship INS Sumitra's swift response and coordinated efforts resulted in the safe release of a hijacked fishing vessel and its crew from Somali pirates. The Navy's commitment to combating piracy and enhancing maritime security is evident through its increased surveillance efforts and deployment of warships in strategic areas. The successful rescue operation highlights the Indian Navy's dedication to protecting seafarers and maintaining the safety of maritime trade routes.

30 Jan 2024
Good News

Combatting Plastic Pollution: How the Sagar-Mitra Abhiyaan is Empowering Children to Make a Difference

Children from more than 100 schools in Pune have established a daily pattern that comes as naturally to them as packing their bags or doing their schoolwork. Every day, they gather little pieces of clean, dry, empty plastic from their homes, such as broken plastic ball pen casings, bottles, bottle caps, old combs, and packets, and place them in a large plastic bag that is stored just for this purpose. They give the bag of plastic goods to the school's instructors and volunteers once a month on a set day. Each youngster is deemed a "Sagar-Mitra," a Hindi term that means "Friend of the Ocean." The Academic Advisors (TAA) is an NGO that founded the Sagar-Mitra Abhiyaan initiative in 2011. The initiative began after the co-founders of TAA, Vinod Bodhankar, Susan Raj and Lalit Rathi, observed a cleaning drive organized by some groups with schoolchildren and saw that children were being exposed to hazardous materials while picking up plastic waste.  The initiative aims to provide a safe and effective way for children to collect plastic waste from their homes and contribute it for recycling or safe disposal. The program currently has over a lakh and eleven thousand students from classes 5 to 9 from schools spread across Pune city, and the goal is to cover all 780 schools in the city, or twelve lakh students, to bring about a change in the culture of the city. Children are shown presentations where they become aware of how our lifestyle practices are destroying millions of creatures on land and in the oceans for no fault of their own. The presentation is successful in highlighting plastic as a serious environmental problem. The movement is gaining momentum as 21 schools in Jalgaon, 10 in Wai (both in Maharashtra), and 5 in Rajasthan have started collections, and more are stepping forward daily.

23 Jan 2023
Good News

Mitra – A Symbol of AI Cooperation

Bengaluru-based Invento Robotics has developed an indoor autonomous robot that can be used in offices, hospitals as well as multiplx cinemas. The robot has been named – Mitra after the vedic God of friendship as it symbolises cooperation in artificial intelligence (AI) between India and China.  Balaji Viswanathan, one of the founders of Invento Robotics said that India has done the computer aided designing of the robot while its plastic mould is being made in a factory in Dongguan and the printed circuit boards and motor controls are being manufactured in Shenzhen (both cities in south China). The first prototype of Mitra is in use at the Canara Bank headquarters in Bengaluru. It was deployed four and a half months ago. The robot which stands five feet, two inches tall and weighs 30 kg has been working as a receptionist and giving tours of the bank’s “experience zone” to customers. It is quite easy to interact with the robot as it is capable of speech and face recognition and interactive gestures. The company Invento Robotics was launched last year by Viswanathan, Bharath Kumar and Mahalaksmi Radhakrishnan. Vishwanathan stated that the robot was made in China as the quality of assemblage and speed of delivery of products in China is very good. Mitra, the robot is the result of complementing India’s efficiency in software with China’s hardware proficiency.

20 Sep 2017
Good News

Positive Reads

ISRO's Gaganyaan Mission: A Historic Leap into Manned Space Travel!

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is on the brink of another historic milestone, with the much-anticipated Gaganyaan mission drawing closer to reality. The mission marks India's ambitious foray into manned space travel, and at its forefront is Vyommitra, a female-looking humanoid robot set to become the first tester of this groundbreaking endeavor. ISRO has been making waves in space exploration, with Chandrayaan's successful soft landing on the moon's south pole and the recent launch of Aditya L1, the world's first space-based observatory dedicated to studying the Sun. These achievements have bolstered confidence in ISRO's capabilities, setting the stage for the human spaceflight program. Union Minister Jitendra Singh recently shared an update on India's first manned space mission, revealing that trials for the project are scheduled to commence in October. The second phase of the project will see Vyommitra, the humanoid robot, embarking on a journey into space, paving the way for future manned missions. The Gaganyaan mission, originally slated for 2022, was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic but is now scheduled for 2024. Its primary objective is to send a three-person crew on a three-day voyage, orbiting at an altitude of 400 kilometers before safely returning to Earth, with a planned splashdown in the Indian Ocean. Vyommitra, the humanoid robot, plays a pivotal role in validating the crew module's spaceworthiness. This half-humanoid, equipped with advanced capabilities like operating switch panels, monitoring module parameters, and even identifying and interacting with humans, is a crucial step toward ensuring crew safety and mission success. As ISRO continues to make strides in its quest for space exploration, Vyommitra stands as a symbol of India's determination to conquer new frontiers, combining the Sanskrit words for "Space" (Vyoma) and "Friend" (Mitra). With Vyommitra leading the way, India's Gaganyaan mission is poised to rewrite the history of human spaceflight.

8 Sep 2023
Positive Reads

Star Citizens

This Computer Scientist Fuses Biology With Computer Science to Make Revolutionary Discoveries in Medical Science

Sanghamitra Bandyopadhyay is a trained computer scientist who is currently the director of the Indian Statistical Institute, Kolkata. She took up computational biology to make remarkable strides in the field of cancer and Alzheimer’s research. Computational Biology Computational biology is the use of computational methods, mathematical models and statistical tools to understand and make inferences from biological data. According to Bandopadhyay, there is enormous physiological, genomic, metabolic and various other biological data with American databases like the NCBI(National Centre for Biotechnology Information, US) and also with European databases. It is impossible to make inferences from such massive amounts of data manually, but by making algorithms to look into the datasets, one can gain useful biological insights. Exceptional Work Bandopadhyay focused on building new algorithms with newer techniques. The computational biologist, based on her work and analysis could identify a new genetic marker for breast cancer, that was later validated through laboratory experiments. Her work also helped researchers to understand disease mechanisms related to HIV-1 and Alzheimer’s.  Bandopadhyay is keen that India doesn’t miss the data revolution. For her efforts, she was awarded the Swaroop Bhatnagar Prize in engineering science by CSIR. She is also the winner of The Infosys prize in engineering and computer science. Image Source: The Wire  

1 Oct 2019
Star Citizens

Ambarish Mitra- A Pioneer Of Augmented Reality

Ambarish Mitra is a pioneer of augmented reality and AI-based computer vision that empowers more than 750 million people globally who cannot read or write. He was one of the first entrepreneurs to build a viable business with AR (Augmented Reality). He was named UK Entrepreneur of the Year by Ernst & Young in 2016 and a Young Global Leader by theWorld Economic Forum in 2017. He recently appeared on TED Talks India hosted by Shah Rukh Khan. Mitra said that the show was helping Indians think about the world around them in a completely different way.  

18 Jan 2018
Star Citizens

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