The Armed Forces Medical Services (AFMS) and the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru, have entered into a strategic partnership to advance the development of artificial intelligence, robotics and wearable technologies for combat medicine.
The collaboration was formalised through the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding during the 74th Armed Forces Medical Conference (ARMEDiCON-2026) held at the Armed Forces Medical College in Pune.
The partnership aims to develop next-generation medical technologies tailored for battlefield and operational environments, with a focus on rapid diagnosis, emergency care, continuous health monitoring and rehabilitation of armed forces personnel deployed in remote and high-risk locations. Key areas of collaboration include AI-driven clinical decision support systems, robotic medical solutions and wearable health monitoring devices designed to function under extreme conditions.
Under the MoU, clinicians from AFMS and researchers from IISc will jointly work on translational research to convert laboratory innovations into field-ready medical solutions. The collaboration also includes joint academic initiatives such as workshops, conferences, faculty exchanges and doctoral research programmes to strengthen interdisciplinary expertise in military medicine and advanced engineering.
The initiative is expected to enhance the Armed Forces’ medical preparedness and accelerate the adoption of cutting-edge healthcare technologies within defence services.
Developments arising from the partnership may also find broader applications in civilian emergency medicine and remote healthcare delivery.
