After scripting success with their drones in the farming sector, Kerala-based startup Fuselage Innovations, led by two young siblings, is getting into the defence sector and has secured a deal from Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) for developing a customised drone.
Fuselage Innovations, a startup founded by Devika and Devan Chandrasekharan of Cherthala in Alappuzha, has won an order to deliver a customised drone for DRDO based on their impressive track record in indigenously developing two drone variants for the farming sector.
“We are excited after we got an order from DRDO, which is one of the world’s premier defence research wings. The order is to develop a customised drone for the DRDO. This development is a major breakthrough for our startup as we are scaling our operations into other verticals. The DRDO selected us based on our consistent performance,” Devan Chandrasekharan told “Open Digest“.
Devika and Devan launched their startup, Fuselage Innovations, in 2020 at Maker Village, Kalamassery, under the Kerala Startup Mission with a mission to boost farm yield using drones. It was after completing their engineering graduation that the brother and sister set out to launch a tech startup for helping farmers.
They introduced two drones— Nireeksh AG and FIA QD10 — after conducting research and development on how drones could be used to identify pest problems and apply fertilisers to crops planted in large tracts of farmland. While the drone Nireeksh, equipped with sensors, analyses pest attacks and nutrient deficiencies at an early stage in crops, the drone FIA applies pesticides and fertilisers to the specific plants identified by Nireeksh.
“The technology of our drones is totally indigenous, and it’s the main reason why DRDO selected us for developing the customised drone,” Devan added. For the last three years, Fuselage Innovations has worked with over 4,000 farmers in Kerala, and their drones have helped the farmers increase their yield by 35 per cent.
