PANAJI
India is aiming to develop indigenous autonomous underwater robots capable of exploring ocean depths of up to 6,000 metres within the next two years, as scientists step up efforts to unlock the vast marine resources, study deep-sea ecosystems and strengthen the country's capabilities in ocean exploration.
Director of the National Institute of Oceanography (NIO) Sunil Kumar Singh said Indian scientists have successfully developed underwater vehicle technology capable of operating at depths of 500 metres, with plans to scale up the capability to 2,000 metres and subsequently 6,000 metres.
Emphasising the need to explore the vast resources of the ocean, Singh said India's coastline, earlier estimated at around 7,500 km, has been revised to 11,096 km. The oceans hold enormous living and non-living resources, including marine biodiversity, minerals and critical metals that are increasingly important for emerging technologies.
He pointed out that marine ecosystems such as coral reefs, microbial reefs, methane seeps and hydrothermal deep-sea systems contain several molecules and metabolites that could be explored for drug discovery and the treatment of various diseases.
Similarly, the deep sea holds valuable minerals and metals such as cobalt, copper and nickel, which are essential for renewable energy technologies, electric vehicles and electronic devices. With land-based mineral resources limited, deep-sea exploration could help India reduce its dependence on other countries for critical materials.
Singh said autonomous underwater vehicles offer an alternative to manned submersibles, allowing scientists to explore difficult ocean environments without putting human lives at risk. Since it is not feasible to send researchers individually or deploy ships for every survey, autonomous systems can significantly expand the scope of ocean research.
He also highlighted the development of an autonomous coral-monitoring robot under the CSIR-FTT programme, specifically designed to study coral reefs affected by global warming and bleaching.
Equipped with specialised sensors and cameras, the robot can enter coral ecosystems, scan the reefs and collect images. Using photogrammetry, scientists can calculate the precise area and volume of corals and monitor changes over successive years. This will help assess the extent of coral loss, recovery and changes in reef health without requiring divers to undertake repeated surveys.
Singh said the technology has applications beyond coral monitoring, including bathymetric surveys and strategic operations, with the Navy also showing interest. It could additionally be used to assess the structural health of dams and gates, where underwater currents are less challenging.
He said the MoU for technology transfer was finalised within two days of receiving the request, expressing hope that the transfer would facilitate wider commercial production and deployment of the technology among various stakeholders.
Singh said NIO would be pleased to see the technology developed by CSIR translated into practical applications across different sectors.
