National Aerospace Laboratories’s Hamsa takes wings

The National Innovation Council (NIC), which is entrusted with preparing a roadmap for the decade of innovation (2010-2020), has asked the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) to scale up Hamsa, the air-propelled ferry system.

Hamsa, which is developed by CSIR’s Bangalore-based National Aerospace Laboratories (NAL), can be used as a means for mass transportation of men and cargo in marshy and water-covered terrain.

Named after the mythological bird which does not fly but moves in land and water, Hamsa is a buoyant, self-propelled, multi-terrain vehicle which depends primarily on air thrust for propulsion.

“A presentation on the Hamsa project has been made before NIC. The project has received a positive response from the NIC panel members and they have asked us to scale up the project,” Dr S Selvarajan, NAL scientist and project leader of Hamsa told DNA.

The 17-member NIC panel is led by Sam Pitroda, adviser to the prime minister on Public Information Infrastructure and Innovations.

The council wants to encourage research and development institutions like NAL to collaborate with micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) for manufacturing the product.

“The air ferry can be used in a variety of applications including fishing. We will team up with fishermen and carry out trials in various lakes in Tumkur district. We are also looking at tying up with state cooperative societies,” Selvarajan said.

Hamsa has already undergone trials at Ulsoor Lake.