DRDO to develop robots as soldiers for India defence.

Going futuristic with unmanned fighting systems, the Defence Research and Development Organisation today said it is developing robots to function as soldiers.

 "We are in the process of developing robots that can work like soldiers. They are working on the data and artificial intelligence that is needed in the process," Vijay Kumar Saraswat, Director General of DRDO and Scientific Advisor to Defence Minister, told a press conference here.

 Earlier, Saraswat inaugurated Bharat Earth Movers Limited - Combined Vehicles Research and Development Establishment Technology Centre, Suspension Test Facility and Combat Vetronics technology Centre for CVRDE, the DRDO lab which is making India's Main Battle Tank (MBT) Arjun.

Stating that India needs to produce aircraft landing gear indigenously, he said organisations like BEML should take the initiative, while CVRDE should get into transmission systems. "DRDO should join hands with defence PSUs to open offset labs," he said.

"There is no major design centre to develop landing gear. This institution along with BEML should take the initiative to start making landing gears. That will be useful for UAVs (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles) and aircraft. And one day we shall have our own commercial aircraft also."

Observing that DRDO was good in designing and prototyping, but has a 'syndrome' of lacking in converting the technology into production, he said collaborations with PSUs are the solution.

Chief Controller (R&D) of Armament and Combat Engineering S Sundaresh said future MBTs should be light weight and set an example to the world.

CVRDE director P Sivakumar said trials of MBT Arjun Mark-II would commence from October 2012.