Indian Army showcases in-house innovations at annual idea, innovation competition 2024 'Inno-Yoddha'

New Delhi [India], December 5 : The Indian Army conducted the Idea and Innovation Competition and Seminar, named Inno-Yoddha 2024-25 at Manekshaw Centre, New Delhi in the presence of General Upendra Dwivedi, Chief of the Army Staff. Inno-Yoddha is an annual event conducted by the Indian Army. It identifies in-house innovations to mitigate existing capability voids, enhance the operational, logistics, and training capabilities and improve operational effectiveness, a press release said.
The operational challenges faced by the Indian Army are varied, aggravated by the vagaries of terrain, weather and adversarial threats. The Indian Army promotes in-house innovations, which are based on the challenges experienced by the troops in the field army. These soldiers, driven by their passion, professional competence and technical orientation, find intrinsic experience-propelled solutions to the challenges encountered in their respective domains.
The "Inno-Yoddha 2024-25" was conducted as a competition and facilitated fresh ideas and novel solutions encouraging soldiers to think out of the box. The selected innovations are taken forward through product improvement by Research and Development (R&D), Design and Development (D&D), Army Technology Board (ATB) Projects, and Base Workshops. Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs) are also obtained for the selected innovations. Post successful upgradation and ruggedisation, the technology is transferred to the Industry to meet the requirements of industrial-grade bulk-produced products for the Indian Army. This endeavour also promotes efforts of the Indian Army towards the 'Atmanirbhar Bharat' (self-reliant India) campaign.
This year, a total of 75 innovations from diverse domains across the Indian Army were fielded, after the selection starting from unit level to formation level and finally the respective Command HQs. Out of these 75 Innovations, 22 top innovations were displayed during the event and felicitated by the Chief of Army Staff (COAS). These will be taken forward for production under the aegis of the Army Design Bureau to fulfil the requirements of field formations.
General Upendra Dwivedi, Chief of the Army Staff, applauded the creativity and ingenuity of the innovators and exhorted all ranks to imbibe critical thinking and innovative approaches to problem-solving. Speaking at the event, the COAS said that "recent conflicts have shown that innovation is not just a word; it is a mindset. It is the spark that drives progress and shapes the future". Congratulating the participants, he said that through their hard work and dedication, they have brought their ideas to this competition. The COAS further said, "Behind each idea, there are countless hours of thought, research, and testing - a testament to their determination to contribute to the force and the nation".
Over the past four years, Inno-Yoddha has fostered significant innovations, resulting in the filing of 26 IPRs and the successful completion of 21 innovations. Additionally, technology has been transferred to the private industry for three of these innovations. Two of these, Exploder by FC Tech and Agniastra by Red Kite Digital Tech have already been rolled out, with Exploder launched in June 2024 and Agniastra unveiled recently by the Chief of Army Staff (COAS) during the Army Commanders Conference on 12th October 2024. The third innovation, Vidyut Rakshak, has been transferred to IS Trading Company.