IIT Madras announces Swarm Drone Technology symposium, applications open till Oct 5

IIT Madras will conduct a five-day symposium on Swarm Drone Technology from Oct 12 to 16, 2026, offering participants hands-on exposure to drone systems, swarm algorithms and emerging unmanned aircraft technologies.

The Department of Aerospace Engineering is organizing the program as part of SwaYaan, a national initiative of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) focused on strengthening India's unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) and drone ecosystem.

Applications for the symposium are open until Oct 5, 2026. The program will examine how multiple drones can operate together as coordinated and intelligent systems, with sessions covering swarm intelligence, multi-unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) coordination, autonomous navigation, distributed control and intelligent decision-making.

In a post on X, IIT Madras said the program will combine classroom-based technical learning with practical training.

"The five-day programme will combine technical learning with hands-on experience, covering drone fundamentals, autonomy and control, communication and multi-agent systems, swarm algorithms and emerging drone technologies."

Participants will also receive practical exposure to several aspects of drone operations and development.

"Participants will also get practical exposure through quadcopter assembly, mission planning, drone simulation and flying, along with industry interaction and a visit to a drone technology company," it added.

The symposium will bring together faculty members and researchers to explore the technologies needed to develop reliable, autonomous drone swarms.

The sessions will cover drone fundamentals, autonomous systems and control, communication, multi-agent systems, swarm algorithms and emerging drone technologies.

The hands-on component will include quadcopter assembly, mission planning, simulation and flying exercises. Participants will also have opportunities for interaction with industry professionals and a visit to a drone technology company.

IIT Madras said the symposium is designed to provide participants with exposure to both the underlying technologies and practical applications involved in coordinated drone operations.

The Swarm Drone Technology symposium will take place at IIT Madras from Oct 12 to 16, 2026. Interested participants must complete their registration by Oct 5.

For registration-related queries, participants can contact [email protected].