Think of a simple device that can be used for anti-terrorist operations, counter-insurgency in forested areas, hostage situations, border infiltration monitoring, local law enforcement operations, search and rescue operations, disaster management, aerial photography and more! Ashish Bhat, one of the founders of the Mumbai-based ideaForge Technology, has developed the world's smallest and lightest autonomous unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), called the Carbon.

The device has been manufactured using carbon fiber composites, and hence the name. Carbon's intuitive point and click graphical user interface requires minimal user assistance. It flies using four high-speed propellers (quadrotor) that allow vertical take-off and landing and provide the power to soar through the skies. The on-board stabilization is achieved by a smart intelligent auto-pilot controller receiving inputs from a GPS, gyro, magnetometers, accelerometers, and altitude sensors. The built-in intelligence in the controller system equips the UAV to return to the starting point on its own.

"The quadrotor is a highly complex system compared to fixed wing, and it is one of the best in the world," says Hemendra Arya, associate professor, Department of Aerospace Engineering, IIT Bombay.

The Carbon weighs just 1.5 kilograms and has a range of one kilometer. With externally swappable Li- Pc batteries, it can fly up to 30 minutes per battery charge.

Bhat's UAV has won a prize for the Best Autonomous Hovering Vehicle from among 16 international teams in the first US-Asian Demonstration and Assessment of Micro Aerial and Unmanned Ground Vehicle Technology.