14-year-old Gujarat boy bags Rs 5 crore deal with State Government for producing drones designed by him

At the age of 14, while you may have been preparing for your board exams or extra-curriculum activities to gain extra marks; this teen is garnering rave reviews for his brilliant creation that has the potential to help the country in the long run. Looking dapper in his blue suit at the Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit held yesterday, Harshwardhan Zala signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) worth Rs. 5 crore with the state government. The teenage inventor struck a deal with the Department of Science and Technology in Gujarat, to facilitate production of drones which can help detect and defuse land mines in war zones. Woah, this class 10th kid is definitely way ahead of his time and looks like he can beat Spy Kids’ Juni Cortez, in terms of intelligence.
While other children his age might have been chilling and playing, he was working on three prototypes of the drone and furthering his business plan. More than the drone, it is the idea behind the creation that’s winning people’s hearts. “The inspiration struck when I was watching television and learned that a large number of soldiers succumb to injuries sustained due to landmine blasts while defusing them manually,” said Zala who started working on the prototype in 2016. Reportedly, Zala spent Rs. 5 lakh on the prototypes – the first two were financed (Rs. 2 lakh) by his parents while the third one was funded (Rs. 3 lakh) by the state.

So, what’s so special about this drone? According to Zala, it is “equipped with infrared, RGB sensors and thermal meter along with a 21-megapixel camera with a mechanical shutter that can take high resolution pictures as well.” Further, the drone is capable of sending out waves that can over 8 sq. meters while flying two feet above the surface. Zala further added, “The drone also carries a bomb weighing 50 gram that can be used to destroy the landmine.”
This young prodigy has already set up his own company called ‘Aerobotics’ and registered a patent under his name. A student of Sarvoday Vidhyamandir, Bapunagar, Zala started making drones on his own and also set up an interface with a base station. He later fixed payloads that are capable of detecting landmines. Zala was inspired to get his product patented after a visit to the Google headquarters in the US.
This MoU is definitely a stepping stone towards success for Zala and we hope that this dream of his comes true.