IIT Madras: The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras is inviting applications for hands-on training in swarm algorithms and emerging drone technologies. According to official information, the institute will organise a five-day symposium on Swarm Drone Technology from October 12 to 16, 2026, to examine how drones can work together as an intelligent and coordinated system.
Organised by the Department of Aerospace Engineering, IIT Madras, the symposium will focus on emerging developments in swarm intelligence, multi-unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) coordination, autonomous navigation, distributed control and intelligent decision-making. Interested candidates can submit applications till October 5, 2026.
The programme is being conducted as part of 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.
In a social media post on X, the institute stated:
"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 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.
What happens when drones work together as one intelligent system?
— IIT Madras (@iitmadras) September 15, 2026
Explore the future of collaborative and autonomous flight at the Symposium on Swarm Drone Technology, organised by the Department of Aerospace Engineering, @iitmadras, from 12–16 October 2026.
Held as part of… pic.twitter.com/VJAAXas7lX
The symposium will bring together faculty members and scholars to discuss the technologies required to develop reliable and autonomous drone swarms. Sessions will cover drone fundamentals, autonomy and control, communication and multi-agent systems, swarm algorithms and emerging drone technologies.
The symposium on Swarm Drone Technology will be held at IIT Madras from October 12 to 16, 2026. Interested participants must complete their registration by October 5. For registration-related queries, participants can contact aero.events@smail.iitm.ac.in.
