Say hi to NAL’s Hamsa, a bird which can ferry you to safety

National Aerospace Laboratories (NAL) has developed an air propelled ferry system —CSIR Hamsa —to access which difficult terrains such as marshy land and water.

Hamsa, with a likely price tag of Rs4 lakh, can be used for eco-tourism, fishing, leisure, geometrics, law enforcement, search and rescue operations.

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

“In India, over 400 million people live along the coastline and water bodies like rivers, lakes, shallow water regions of which many are filled with weeds. The air ferry can be used in a wide variety of applications where access is a problem,” said Dr S Selvarajan, NAL scientist and project leader of the CSIR.

Hamsa is undergoing trial runs at Ulsoor Lake and can be custom-built with different hull designs.

One of the models is a six-seater Parisil-boat all terrain vehicle which operates on a Simonini mini aero engine.  While the propeller cage is located in the rear of the boat, the control panels are in front. It also has three wheels for mobility on land.

Another model is a three-seater which can be used for clearing weed and rescue operations in lakes and rivers.

The third model is based on the Indian coracle. Called ‘water auto’ it is a basic coracle which can be rendered very stable by attaching ‘strap-on out triggers’.  It would cost around ¤10,000 per unit.