DST secretary says industry and academia must team up on physical AI and robotics

The Department of Science and Technology (DST) has called for closer teamwork among industry, academia, researchers and start-ups to advance autonomous systems, physical AI and robotics, at a session of the Emerging Science, Technology and Innovation Conclave (ESTIC) 2026 in New Delhi.

Prof. Umesh V. Waghmare, DST Secretary, inaugurated the session at Bharat Mandapam. "Collaboration among industry, academia, researchers, start-ups and technology users is crucial," he said, to turn scientific ideas into solutions with societal impact.

The mission behind it

Waghmare highlighted DST's National Mission on Interdisciplinary Cyber-Physical Systems, under which technology innovation hubs have been set up at 25 leading academic institutions. Phase I is due to end in December 2027, and feedback from the session will help shape a second phase.

Physical AI is an engineering challenge

Prof. Abhay Karandikar, a Member of NITI Aayog, said physical AI "is not merely an artificial intelligence challenge but also a systems engineering challenge". It depends on reliable sensors, actuators, real-time computing, control algorithms, low-latency communication and energy-efficient hardware.

He noted that errors by robots in factories or autonomous vehicles can have immediate physical consequences, so reliability, safety, security and trustworthiness must stay central. India, he said, can build on its strengths in electronics, manufacturing, embedded systems, telecommunications and software.

Karandikar added that stakeholder consultations had considered a proposal for a Physical AI Mission, and suggested the next phase of the cyber-physical systems mission could take it up.

The session also featured a keynote, invited talks and a panel with speakers from industry, IITs and start-ups. ESTIC 2026 runs from 27 to 29 October.

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Source: official release by the Ministry of Science & Technology, issued through the Press Information Bureau, Government of India (29 OCT 2026 12:16PM by PIB Delhi). Read the full official text: DST’s ESTIC session discusses transformations in science and innovations with autonomous systems, physical AI and robotics.