MIPT Student Presents Icebreaker Navigation Drone to Russian President
A graduate of a school in Nizhny Tagil demonstrated a smart drone for Arctic navigation to Vladimir Putin.
Vyacheslav Tokarev, a master’s student at the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology, presented Russian President Vladimir Putin with a new smart unmanned aerial vehicle designed for icebreaker navigation and ice reconnaissance.
The young engineer, a graduate of School No. 32 in Nizhny Tagil, showcased the development ahead of Students’ Day during the president’s meeting with students and faculty at the university, broadcast by Channel One.
No Need for Images When You Have a Drone
Tokarev noted that the volume of satellite data required for ice fleet navigation is currently insufficient. Satellite imagery has become more expensive and is limited in availability, while shipping along the Northern Sea Route critically depends on having up-to-date ice condition maps to inform crews.
The problem has been addressed with drones equipped with radar systems and elements of artificial intelligence. These UAVs carry out rapid reconnaissance directly from the deck of an icebreaker, either autonomously or at the crew’s request. The collected data are then used to plot optimal routes in the Arctic Ocean.
Deployed on Atomflot Icebreakers
Work on the unmanned navigation system is part of Tokarev’s student project. According to him, the technology has been tested during four Arctic expeditions and has already been deployed on three Atomflot icebreakers. Each drone weighs 200 kilograms and has a flight range of up to 100 kilometers.
Tokarev is also a recipient of a regional governor’s scholarship and the Ammos Cherepanov Prize. In 2021, he enrolled at the university in the Aviation Technologies program.
Earlier, we reported that students at Altai State Technical University are developing VR simulators and test benches for real-time equipment testing.
