Want to learn swarm drone tech? IIT Madras opens applications, apply by October 5

IIT Madras will hold a five-day hands-on symposium on swarm drone technology from October 12 to 16, 2026, with applications open till October 5. Conducted under MeitY's SwaYaan initiative, it combines classroom sessions, practical flying and industry exposure around autonomous drone swarms.

In Short

• Participants will study drone fundamentals, autonomy, control and multi-agent systems
• Hands-on modules include quadcopter assembly, mission planning, simulation and flying
• Technical sessions will cover swarm intelligence, navigation, distributed control and decisions

What if multiple drones could communicate, coordinate and make decisions as a team? IIT Madras is offering participants an opportunity to explore exactly that through a five-day hands-on programme on swarm drone technology.

The institute will organise a Swarm Drone Technology symposium from October 12 to 16, 2026, covering swarm intelligence, autonomous navigation, multi-drone coordination and emerging UAV technologies. All the interested candidates can apply by October 5, 2026.

HANDS-ON TRAINING IN SWARM DRONE TECHNOLOGY

Organised by the Department of Aerospace Engineering, IIT Madras, the programme will combine technical learning with practical training. Participants will learn about drone fundamentals, autonomy and control, communication and multi-agent systems, swarm algorithms and emerging drone technologies.

The programme will also provide practical exposure through quadcopter assembly, mission planning, drone simulation and flying.

INDUSTRY INTERACTION AND DRONE TECHNOLOGY EXPOSURE

Along with technical sessions, participants will get an opportunity for industry interaction and a visit to a drone technology company. The symposium will bring together faculty members and scholars to discuss the technologies required to develop reliable and autonomous drone swarms.

According to official information, the programme is being conducted under SwaYaan, a national initiative of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) aimed at strengthening India's unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) and drone ecosystem.

Sessions will focus on swarm intelligence, multi-UAV coordination, autonomous navigation, distributed control and intelligent decision-making.

Applications for the programme will remain open until October 5, 2026, while the symposium will take place at IIT Madras from October 12 to 16, 2026. For registration-related queries, participants can write to aero.events@smail.iitm.ac.in.

The five-day programme will give participants an opportunity to combine technical learning with practical experience in autonomous drones, swarm algorithms and coordinated UAV systems.

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