Maarg Manthan · Topic 16.15

Robotics, AI and Internet of Military Things (IoMT) in Defence

Science & Technology › Defence Technology and Missile Systems · Topic 16.15

Armed forces use robotics, artificial intelligence and the Internet of Military Things to see more, decide faster and reduce risk to soldiers. Robotics gives unmanned ground vehicles for bomb disposal and logistics, drones, and underwater vehicles. Artificial intelligence processes images, signals and sensor data for surveillance, predicts equipment failures, helps in command decisions, language translation and cyber defence. The Internet of Military Things, IoMT, is the network of sensors, wearables, vehicles, weapons and drones that share data on the battlefield and with command centres. In India, the Defence AI Council was formed in 2019 under the Defence Minister, a Defence AI Project Agency supports it, and in July 2022 the Ministry released 75 AI products during a conference.

5 min read · UPSC Prelims · Science & Technology · Defence Technology and Missile Systems

At a Glance

Robots Unmanned vehicles, Daksh
AI Surveillance, decision support
IoMT Connected battlefield devices
Indian body Defence AI Council, 2019
Start-up scheme iDEX, 2018
Exam link UPSC Prelims, Science & Technology: Defence Technology and Missile Systems

Where Does It Fit?

This topic follows the account of defence restructuring. It links the earlier macro topics on robotics and artificial intelligence with their use in the armed forces, and leads on to cyber warfare. Previous topic: Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) and Defence Sector Restructuring. Next topic: Cyber Warfare Preparedness.

How Are Robotics, AI and IoMT Used in Defence?

Technology	Defence uses
Unmanned ground vehicles	Bomb disposal, mine clearing, logistics and surveillance. Examples: DRDO’s Daksh and the MUNTRA series
Unmanned air and sea vehicles	Surveillance drones, loitering munitions, autonomous underwater vehicles for mine hunting
Computer vision	AI finds vehicles and people in satellite and drone images
Predictive maintenance	Sensors and AI predict failure of engines and parts, raising availability
Decision support	AI suggests courses of action in command and control, and war games
Language and intelligence	Translation and analysis of large text and signals data
Cyber defence	AI detects abnormal traffic and malware

What Is the Internet of Military Things and India’s Effort?

IoMT: networked sensors on soldiers, vehicles, ships, aircraft and munitions that send data to a shared picture, also called the battlefield internet
Benefits: shared situational awareness, faster targeting and logistics
Risks: hacking, jamming, spoofing of sensors, and overload of information
Defence AI Council: set up in February 2019 under the Defence Minister, to give direction on AI
Defence AI Project Agency: DAIPA, the executive body under the Defence Secretary, which supports the Council
Task force: a task force under N Chandrasekaran reported in 2018, leading to a roadmap for AI in defence
75 AI products: launched in July 2022 at the AI in Defence symposium, and each service has set up AI centres
iDEX and DRDO labs: Innovations for Defence Excellence was started in 2018 for start-ups, and DRDO’s Centre for Artificial Intelligence and Robotics, CAIR, works on AI systems

What Else Should You Remember?

Sensor to shooter: the time from detecting to hitting a target can be cut by AI and networks
Swarm drones: groups of drones coordinated by software, demonstrated by the Army in 2021
Autonomous weapons: systems that choose targets themselves, covered in 3D-Printed Munitions and Lethal Autonomous Weapons
Command and control networks: the Army’s Battlefield Surveillance System known as Sanjay was inducted in 2025, which should be checked
Exoskeletons: to reduce load on soldiers
Digital twins: computer models of equipment
Training simulators: virtual reality simulators for pilots and soldiers
Data centres: defence needs secure data and cloud systems, as in Cloud Computing and Big Data
Edge computing: processing data at the sensor, not in a far data centre
Quantum links: secure communication and sensing research, as in Quantum Computing
Ethics: rules on human control, bias and accountability
Data and bias: AI trained on poor data can misidentify targets
Supply chain: dependence on imported chips and software
Talent: skilled people are needed in the forces
NATO: has principles for responsible use of AI
US and China: both invest heavily in military AI
Link to robots: see Applications of Robotics: Industry, Aerospace, Healthcare, Military, Agriculture, Disaster Response
Wearable sensors: soldiers can carry devices for location, health and communication that feed the network
AI centres in services: the Army, Navy and Air Force have set up their own AI centres or labs
Language tools: AI translation helps in intelligence from many languages
Logistics: AI plans supply routes and stocks, which saves cost and time
Human in the loop: Indian officials have said that humans should remain in control of decisions to use force
Funding: iDEX and the Technology Development Fund give money to small firms for prototypes
Skill needs: the forces train officers in data science and cyber security

Why Does It Matter for the Exam?

Bodies: DAIC, DAIPA, CAIR
Scheme: iDEX 2018
Terms: IoMT, sensor to shooter
Current affairs link: AI procurement and swarm tests
Common errors: saying IoMT is the public internet or that DAIC is under the Home Ministry

As an analytical point, military AI can improve awareness and reduce casualties, but it increases cyber risk and raises questions of control. India needs secure data, indigenous chips and clear rules for human oversight.

Why Is This Topic Important?

Tools Robots, AI
Network IoMT
Policy DAIC and iDEX

What Came Next?

The next topic covers cyber warfare preparedness. Next topic: Cyber Warfare Preparedness.

Key People and Terms

IoMT Internet of Military Things
UGV Unmanned ground vehicle
DAIPA Defence AI Project Agency
CAIR Centre for Artificial Intelligence and Robotics
iDEX Innovations for Defence Excellence
Swarm Cooperating unmanned systems

Exam Corner

Points to Remember

Defence AI Council: 2019, under the Defence Minister.
75 AI products: July 2022.
iDEX: 2018.
CAIR is a DRDO lab.
Daksh: bomb disposal.

Do Not Confuse With

IoMT and IoT Military network versus general network
DAIC and DAIPA Council versus executive agency
UGV and UAV Ground versus air

Memory Hook

Robots take the risk, AI reads the data, IoMT links all; Council guides, iDEX invites.

Mains Angle

Questions ask for bodies, schemes and terms. These points help.

Uses Roles
Risks Cyber, ethics
Policy Bodies

A Question You May Face

An original practice question, not a past paper question.

“Discuss how robotics, artificial intelligence and the Internet of Military Things are transforming warfare and how India is adapting.”

How to Answer

Uses Robots, AI.
IoMT Network.
India Council, iDEX.
Risks Cyber.

GS Relevance

Prelims: AI council, iDEX, IoMT, examples. GS Paper 3: defence technology, internal security, emerging technologies.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Internet of Military Things?

The Internet of Military Things is the network of connected sensors, wearable devices, vehicles, aircraft, ships, drones and weapons that collect and share data in real time on the battlefield. It gives commanders a shared picture and speeds up decisions, but it is also exposed to hacking and jamming.

What is the Defence AI Council?

The Defence AI Council was set up in February 2019 under the chairmanship of the Defence Minister to give strategic direction for the use of artificial intelligence in the armed forces and defence industry. The Defence AI Project Agency, led by the Defence Secretary, implements its decisions and runs projects.

What is iDEX?

Innovations for Defence Excellence, iDEX, is a scheme launched in 2018 by the Ministry of Defence to involve start-ups, small firms and individual innovators in finding solutions to defence problems, with grants, prototyping support and a chance for the forces to buy their products.

How is AI used in the military?

Armed forces use AI to analyse satellite and drone images, predict maintenance needs of equipment, translate languages, detect cyber attacks and support commanders with planning options. AI also powers navigation and target recognition in autonomous systems, which raises ethical questions about human control.

What is Daksh?

Daksh is a remotely operated vehicle developed by DRDO for bomb disposal. It carries a robotic arm, cameras and tools to inspect, handle and destroy explosives from a safe distance, and has been used by the Army and police forces in India.

PYQ Practice — Statement Analysis

1 The Defence AI Council was set up in 2019.

True

Under the Defence Minister.

2 iDEX supports start-ups for defence innovation.

True

Launched in 2018.

3 The Internet of Military Things is the same as the public internet.

False

It is a secure military network.

4 CAIR is a laboratory of ISRO.