Our soldiers nobly fight to protect our freedom and to guard those who can’t defend themselves. Motivated to help the Indian forces from harm’s way, a teenager developed an innovative solution.

16-year-old Harshwardhansinh Zala from Ahmedabad, Gujarat, has invented a drone called EAGLE A7 to detect active landmines. In warfare, anti-personnel and anti-tank mines pose a significant threat to human life and fighting vehicles. Drones can act as the “eyes in the sky” when human-operated flights may be considered too risky or challenging.

Zala’s unmanned aircraft can hover over the ground and place a blasting cap on the spot, enabling the military forces to destroy the landmines later. He has applied multi-spectral technology for detection and included a battery box, military-grade controller, main technology box, and micro-computer in the device. The drone can be operated remotely from a distance of 100 km and potentially save millions of lives.

Although his creation has received international interest, he wishes to deploy the drone to serve the Indian Army and the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF). EAGLE A7 is a stellar example of a social innovation that realises technology’s potential in meeting our unfulfilled needs. A young mind came up with an idea, translating his scientific knowledge and practical skills to solve a real-life challenge. And that deserves all the praise!

This feature appeared in the Defence issue of The Plus magazine for teenagers.