National Aerospace Laboratories (NAL) has developed an air propelled ferry system — CSIR Hamsa — to access difficult terrains such as marshy land and water.
National Aerospace Laboratories (NAL) has developed an air propelled ferry system — CSIR Hamsa — to access 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.
The ferry, 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. 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 Rs10,000 per unit.
“Coracles are banned in Karnataka after many capsizing incidents. With the strap-on out triggers, the coracle is unsinkable. Discussions are on with the state government for its application,” said Dr Selvarajan.
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