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The Technology Advisory Group (TAG), operating under the Empowered Technology Group (ETG), convened its third meeting today to finalise a strategic roadmap for the Indian robotics ecosystem. Chaired by Prof. Ajay Kumar Sood, Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India, the high-level meeting brought together government officials, academicians, and private startups to address the "indigenisation" of robotic technologies.
The central theme of the 2026 roadmap is a shift from legacy industrial automation to Embodied Intelligence. Prof. Sood emphasised that India’s vision focuses on human augmentation rather than labour replacement, with prioritised development in healthcare, national security, and internal safety.
Foundational pillars: Integrating national missions
The roadmap seeks to leverage existing high-budget frameworks to create a dedicated National Robotics Mission. Shri S. Krishnan, Secretary of MeitY, highlighted that the draft National Strategy on Robotics is designed to converge with three foundational pillars:
IndiaAI Mission: Providing the "brains" for robots through foundational AI models.
India Semiconductor Mission: Ensuring a domestic supply of specialised chipsets and sensors.
Electronic Components Ecosystem: Supporting the manufacturing of actuators and precision gears.
Addressing strategic vulnerabilities
A major outcome of the deliberations was the identification of critical gaps in the domestic supply chain. Currently, India faces a high dependence on imports for precision components. To achieve "software sovereignty," Dr Sameer Kamat, Chairman of DRDO, urged the immediate indigenisation of design and simulation tools.
To solve these hardware and software bottlenecks, the TAG proposed:
Shared National Data Infrastructure: A federated platform to provide task-specific data for training robots in unstructured environments like Indian farms or hospitals.
Product Linked Incentive (PLI) Support: Extending fiscal benefits specifically to robotics component manufacturers to reduce import reliance.
Haptic Intelligence Initiative: Prioritising R&D in tactile perception, the "sense of touch" for robots, which is vital for surgical and hazardous environment applications.
Scaling through "Grand Challenges"
The meeting showcased successful models of academic-to-market translation. ARTPARK (IISc Bangalore) and the I-Hub Foundation for Cobotics (IIT Delhi) presented their work in bridging laboratory research with industrial needs. To accelerate this, the government plans to promote the "Grand Challenges" modelled after the iDEX (Innovations for Defence Excellence) system.
These challenges will provide dedicated funding funnels for startups to solve specific problems, such as developing indigenous quadruped robots for border patrol or cobots for retail automation. GreyOrange, a leader in warehouse robotics, emphasised the need for G2G (Government to Government)certifications and domestic standards to help Indian robots meet global quality norms like ISO/CE, facilitating exports to international markets.
The path to 2030
The long-term objective is to evolve India into a "product nation" where robotics acts as a force multiplier for the economy. Dr. (Mrs.) Parvinder Maini, Scientific Secretary, noted that the next phase involves implementing mission-linked grants and establishing accredited testing labs across the country.
By creating a unified regulatory framework, the government aims to remove non-tariff barriers that currently hinder the export of Indian-made machines. As India prepares for theIndia-AI Impact Summit later this month, the robotics roadmap stands as a cornerstone of the nation’s high-value manufacturing ambitions.