Indian Startup Builds Robots to Support Soldiers in Siachen’s Extreme Terrain

At Siachen, where temperatures can fall to around minus 50°C and soldiers operate across glaciers, steep slopes and high-altitude terrain, even carrying essential supplies can become a serious physical challenge. A Chennai-based defence technology startup is attempting to address part of that challenge with unmanned ground vehicles designed to take on dangerous and demanding tasks instead of putting soldiers directly in harm’s way.

The company behind the technology is Torus Robotics, a startup founded by engineering graduates from SRM University. Its work focuses on unmanned ground vehicles, robotics and indigenous powertrain technology for defence and other applications. Recent reporting highlights the company’s efforts to develop robotic systems capable of supporting operations in extreme environments, including a logistics-focused vehicle being developed with BEML for high-altitude terrain.

From Engineering Graduates to Defence Robotics

Torus Robotics was founded in 2019 by SRM University alumni M. Vignesh, Vibhakar Senthil Kumar and K. Abbhi Vignesh. Rather than following the conventional route into corporate employment after engineering, the founders chose to work on technology for the Indian defence sector.

Their interest in military robotics was driven by the need to reduce the risks faced by personnel during dangerous operations. The founders began working on unmanned systems after studying battlefield requirements and interacting with defence personnel to understand the problems that conventional vehicles and human-operated systems could not easily solve.

That approach eventually led to the development of the company’s Mobile Autonomous Robotic System, or MARS, an unmanned ground vehicle designed for demanding defence applications.

MARS UGV: A Robot Built for Dangerous Missions

The MARS platform represents a broader shift in how unmanned systems can support military personnel. Instead of sending soldiers into every hazardous environment themselves, a robotic vehicle can potentially be used for tasks such as reconnaissance, surveillance, transportation and handling unidentified dangerous objects.

Government-backed defence innovation material describes Torus Robotics as a company developing modular unmanned ground vehicles for the Indian defence sector. Its MARS platform was designed with a robotic arm and autonomous capabilities, with applications including the detection, identification and disposal of potentially dangerous unidentified objects.

The system is significant because it is not simply a remotely controlled vehicle. Its development involves multiple technologies working together, including sensors, autonomous navigation, robotic manipulation and electric propulsion.

A project description from one of the company’s co-founders also identifies a MARS prototype incorporating a six-axis robotic arm, a moving ground platform, LiDAR sensors and sensor fusion for autonomous operation.

Why Siachen Is Such a Difficult Environment

Siachen presents a unique robotics challenge.

The region sits at extremely high altitude, where thin air, freezing temperatures, snow, ice, steep terrain and unpredictable weather can make conventional transportation difficult. Human soldiers operating there already have to contend with the physical effects of altitude and extreme cold.

Moving ammunition, food, fuel, medical supplies and other equipment can add another burden.

This is where unmanned logistics platforms could become particularly valuable. Instead of requiring soldiers to carry every load themselves over difficult terrain, robotic vehicles could potentially transport supplies closer to operational positions.

Recent reporting on Torus Robotics says the company is working with BEML on a logistics variant intended to transport heavy supplies across high-altitude terrain. The objective is to reduce the physical burden on personnel operating in places such as Siachen.

The concept is straightforward but technically demanding: make the machine carry more, operate reliably in extreme conditions and navigate terrain where conventional vehicles may struggle.

The BEML Connection

Torus Robotics has also been developing technology with BEML, a government-owned engineering and manufacturing company involved in defence, mining, construction and mobility equipment.

The collaboration is particularly important because scaling a defence robot requires more than building a working prototype. Military platforms need to be rugged, maintainable and capable of operating in environments that can be far more demanding than standard commercial applications.

An incubation profile for Torus Robotics notes that the company signed an MoU with BEML for development work involving its unmanned ground vehicle technology. The same profile describes the company’s Kalam platform as a multipurpose heavy-duty amphibious UGV intended for applications including combat, surveillance and land-based logistics.

This suggests that the company’s long-term strategy extends beyond a single robotic vehicle. Instead, it is developing a family of technologies that could be adapted for different operational requirements.

Electric Power Could Be Another Advantage

Torus Robotics is also working on indigenous electric powertrain technology.

Its earlier defence work focused heavily on fully electric unmanned ground vehicles, while the company has subsequently expanded its technology efforts into axial-flux motors for electric mobility. Government and incubation sources describe the company’s motor technology as compact and lightweight, with the potential to improve efficiency compared with conventional imported motor technologies.

For unmanned defence vehicles, reducing weight can have an important effect on mobility, payload and energy consumption.

A lighter motor and efficient drivetrain can potentially allow a vehicle to carry more useful equipment without proportionally increasing its overall weight. In a high-altitude environment, where every kilogram can matter, engineering efficiency becomes particularly important.

The company’s current focus on axial-flux motor technology also shows how a defence robotics project can evolve into a broader deep-tech platform with potential applications in electric vehicles and other mobility systems. A 2024 Tamil Nadu government innovation newsletter described Torus Robotics as moving from its initial defence UGV work toward axial-flux motor technology for the electric-vehicle sector.

Robots as Force Multipliers

The significance of systems like MARS is not necessarily that robots will replace soldiers.

The more realistic objective is to use machines as force multipliers.

A robot can potentially enter an area considered too dangerous for a human operator, inspect an object, transport equipment or conduct surveillance while keeping personnel farther away from the immediate threat.

For logistics operations, the advantage could be equally practical. If an unmanned vehicle can carry heavy loads across difficult terrain, soldiers can conserve physical energy for tasks that require human decision-making and combat capability.

That could become increasingly important as militaries around the world explore autonomous and remotely operated systems.

India’s Growing Defence Robotics Ecosystem

Torus Robotics is part of a larger movement in India toward developing indigenous defence technologies.

Government initiatives such as Innovations for Defence Excellence, or iDEX, have been created to encourage startups and innovators to develop technologies for the armed forces. Torus Robotics has been recognised within this ecosystem, including as a Pioneer Defence Innovator. Government innovation material also identifies the company as one of India’s early startups working on indigenous unmanned ground vehicles.

The company’s work has also received recognition through initiatives such as the Birla Global Innovation Challenge, while its MARS platform has been associated with DRDO-related development work.

The development of such technologies is important for another reason: it can reduce dependence on imported components and create domestic expertise in robotics, sensors, electric motors and autonomous systems.

From Siachen to Future Battlefields

The extreme conditions of Siachen make it an especially demanding test environment, but the technologies being developed for such locations could have applications elsewhere.

Unmanned ground vehicles could potentially be adapted for border surveillance, disaster response, hazardous industrial environments, mine detection, logistics and search-and-rescue operations.

A vehicle originally designed to carry supplies across difficult military terrain could eventually find civilian applications where humans face similar environmental risks.

That versatility is one of the strongest arguments for investing in dual-use robotics. Technologies developed for defence can sometimes evolve into systems that serve wider industrial and humanitarian purposes.

The Bigger Innovation Story

The story of Torus Robotics is ultimately about more than a robot.

It represents a shift in how Indian engineering startups are approaching national challenges. Instead of simply adapting commercially available technologies, companies are attempting to build indigenous systems around specific requirements faced by Indian users.

For Siachen, the requirement is particularly clear: reduce the physical and operational burden placed on soldiers working in one of the world’s most difficult environments.

A machine capable of carrying supplies through extreme terrain will not eliminate the dangers of high-altitude military operations. Autonomous systems also face significant technical challenges, including navigation, battery performance, communications, reliability and maintenance in severe weather.

But each successful step toward reliable unmanned mobility can move some of the most dangerous or physically demanding work away from humans.

That is where the real significance of Indian defence robotics lies.

The future battlefield may not simply involve soldiers carrying equipment through extreme terrain. Increasingly, machines could travel alongside them, carry the heavy loads, inspect dangerous areas and perform tasks that would otherwise expose people to unnecessary risk.

For Torus Robotics, a journey that began with three engineering graduates choosing innovation over conventional corporate careers has evolved into an effort to build indigenous robotic systems for some of India’s most challenging environments. And in a place like Siachen, where every kilogram carried and every dangerous step matters, that technology could ultimately make a very human difference.