Quick Info→
Hometown: Mandya, Karnataka Marital Status: Unmarried Age: 25 Years
| Bio/Wiki | |
|---|---|
| Real name | Prathap N M [1]Drone Prathap – Instagram |
| Other Names | Drone Scientist [2]The Quint |
| Profession(s) | • Scientist • Businessman |
| Physical Stats & More | |
| Height (approx.) | in centimeters– 173 cm in meters– 1.73 m in feet & inches– 5’ 8” |
| Eye Colour | Black |
| Hair Colour | Black |
| Personal Life | |
| Date of Birth | 15 June 1998 (Monday) |
| Age (as of 2023) | 25 Years |
| Birthplace | Mandya, Karnataka |
| Zodiac sign | Gemini |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Hometown | Mandya, Karnataka |
| College/University | JSS College of Arts and Commerce, Mysore |
| Educational Qualification | Bachelor of Science [3]Deccan Herald |
| Religion | Hinduism |
| Ethnicity | Kannadiga [4]Drone Prathap – Instagram |
| Food Habit | Non-Vegetarian |
| Controversies | Arrested for violating quarantine rules In July 2020, he was arrested by Bengaluru’s Talagatta Police for not following quarantine orders. An FIR was registered against Prathap for violating the quarantine rules after he travelled from Bihar to Hyderabad en-route to Bengaluru on 15 July and was asked to quarantine himself for 14 days at Thalaghattapura in Bengaluru by the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), but he straight away went to give an interview. When he got to know about the FIR, he switched off his phone and went untraceable. However, the police arrested him on 20 July. [5]The Hindu False claim of receiving International appreciation |
| Relationships & More | |
| Marital Status | Unmarried |
| Family | |
| Wife/Spouse | N/A |
| Parents | Father– Marimaddaiah (farmer) Mother– Savita (homemaker) |
Some Lesser Known Facts About Drone Prathap
- Drone Prathap is an Indian scientist and businessman who is known for building over 600 drones by using e-waste and using them for social causes like providing food and relief materials to areas affected by floods. He is the founder and CEO of Dronark aerospace.
- He was born into an agrarian family. His family was not financially strong and his father wanted Prathap to work on their farms. To fulfil his father’s wish, he started working on the farms at a young age.
- In an interview, he said that he used to feel very tired working there, but after seeing the eagles fly high in the sky, he felt relaxed.
- When he was in class 10, one day he saw a drone on television, which immediately reminded him of eagles. He wanted to make a drone for himself but to gain information about it, he did not have a smartphone or access to the internet. He started working as a sweeper in a cyber cafe in exchange for which the owner would allow him to use the internet for 45 minutes.
- After gaining basic knowledge about how to make a drone, another problem he faced was the arrangement of its parts. He did not have the money to buy wires, a motor or a motherboard so, he decided to buy electronic waste parts at cheap prices from an electronic appliances store.
- While he was still learning how to make a drone, he had to shift to Mysuru to pursue his graduation. When he left home for studies, his father gave him Rs. 8000 which he used to pay for his college fees and later, he started giving tuition to pay for his rent and food.
- He used to spend all his salary on purchasing parts of drones. He was once asked to move out of his rented apartment after he failed to pay the rent on time. Pratap started to sleep at bus stands frequently, walk for many kilometres to give tuition and skip meals to fund his project.
- He made many drones and after 50 trials and experiments, one of his drones flew 1000 meters from the ground. In an interview, he talked about his attempts and said,
I did not understand aerodynamics or engineering. No one was even there to guide me. Once I exhausted all my options, I used common sense. I made a couple of basic changes like putting the flight controller in front, maintaining the centre of gravity and striking a balance between all the drone parts.”
- His professors guided him to participate in innovation competitions across India.
- His journey began when he was 16 and took his first drone to a Drone model competition at IIT Delhi where he won second prize. After winning, the judges suggested him to take part in an exhibition held in Japan.
- When he decided to participate in the International Robotic Exhibition held in Japan, he went to Chennai prior to that so that he could get his thesis on the drone checked by a professor in Chennai.
- When it was time to go to Japan, he did not have money to buy the flight tickets. His mother offered to sell her jewellery and buy the tickets, but his school came forward to fund the tickets. His teachers contributed money to buy the flight tickets and help in the project that was to be presented at the International Robot Exhibition in Tokyo in 2017.
- He took drones weighing 300 kilos and two pairs of clothing with him. After he landed at the Tokyo International Airport, he took the normal train instead of the bullet train to reach the Tokyo Big Sight Inc., where the exhibition was to be held because he had only Rs. 1500 with him. It took him four rounds to the exhibition venue to bring all the parts of the drones.
- In an interview, he shared how he felt when he reached there saying that the other students came with their parents or professors, seemed very confident and spoke fluent English. Prathap felt really nervous, but he was focused on his goal.
- On the second day of the exhibition, he presented his model made out of electronic waste in seven rounds. After the presentation, only 20 teams were selected. He thought that he had failed but his name was announced in the list of 20 teams, and he had won the gold medal.
- In 2018, he participated in the Albert Einstein Innovation Gold Medal International Drone Expo 2018 held in Hanover, Germany and won his next international award.
- He received a lot of accolades, recognitions, invitations from international universities and many employment opportunities. He has also visited 87 countries for internships and delivered lectures on the application of drone technology in a time-sensitive scenario.
- In 2019, his drones helped thousands of people who were stuck in floods in the southern part of Karnataka. He used his drones to reach the location and see the situation, which helped the police a lot in sending food and other relief materials.
- Prathap has used his prize money to develop an aerospace lab in Bengaluru where he worked on how to make better drones.
- He wanted to pursue engineering, but his family could not afford the fees due to which he had to pursue a BSc.
- He had to fight with his parents, relatives and friends to pursue his dream because they did not support him initially. In an interview, he said that whenever he felt like giving up, he used to look at the picture of former President APJ Abdul Kalam which he always kept in his wallet.
- In 2023, he appeared as a contestant on the reality show Bigg Boss Kannada Season 10.
References/Sources:[+]
| ↑1, ↑4 | Drone Prathap – Instagram |
|---|---|
| ↑2 | The Quint |
| ↑3 | Deccan Herald |
| ↑5 | The Hindu |