IANS,
New technologies and products displayed by various defence organisations in the science exposition here have been a major draw for delegates participating in the 95th Indian Science Congress.
Being held as part of the five-day annual event in the sprawling Andhra University campus in this scenic port city, the exhibition, christened Bharat Expo, showcases developments and achievements made by scientific institutions, state-run organisations and private enterprises, using science and technology.
Innovative products with potential for diverse applications are attracting thousands of delegates as well as inquisitive visitors to the expo. Among them is a nuclear bio-chemical (NBC) suit, designed by Kanpur-based Defence Materials and Stores Research and Development Establishment, a division of Defence Research & Development Organisation (DRDO).
The suit has two layers of polyester fabric, with disruptive printing to camouflage and a coat of specific chemicals to protect a soldier from biological or nuclear attack. The inner layer is coated with carbon spheres to adsorb toxic chemicals.
The Establishment's technical official Pradeep Saxena told IANS at the expo that 60,000 suits have already been supplied to the defence forces and about 40,000 were under production to meet additional demand from the services. The suit, costing Rs.10,000 each, can protect from radiation up to the level of beta rays.
A leak tester for the NBC, designed by Bangalore-based Defence Bio-engineering Electro-medical Laboratory of DRDO, is getting attention for its special features.
'The tester will help in checking whether the mask is leak-proof in 15 seconds. It is handy for defence forces in the event of a nuclear or bio-chemical war or straying into contaminated areas,' lab official Y.S. Prakash said.
Another user-friendly product, designed by the Institute of Nuclear Medicine & Allied Sciences, New Delhi, is a lightweight foldable stretcher that can be carried as a backpack.
The stretcher will shrink to 65 cm when folded and weighs seven kg, making it easy to carry by soldiers and rescue teams in remote or inaccessible areas. It can be opened in a minute.
Another star attraction is a bridge-laying tank built by the Pune centre of DRDO, for its utility and quick deployment.
The tank can lay bridges up to 20-22 metres long to help cross a stream or a chasm. It can be installed in five minutes. Its larger version, christened Sarvatra, is a vehicle-mounted system.
Sarvatra can lay bridges up to 100 metres long. Made of aluminium alloy, it can be deployed in 15 minutes.
Visakhapatnam-based Naval Science Technological Laboratory (NSTL) is displaying its designed torpedo advanced light (TAL) that can be fired on a submarine from a ship or helicopter.
The weapon can be fired from 450 metres within six minutes of detecting the target. The exercise version weighs 197 kg, while its combat version is 220 kg. The combat version can carry explosives up to 42 kg.
The state-run Hyderabad-based Bharat Dynamics Ltd. manufactures the torpedoes. Indigenous torpedoes cost Rs.10-20 million, compared to Rs.50 million for imported ones.
