India's first self-driving car unveiled, startup plans to emulate Tesla, Google

The concept of autonomous cars is still at a very nascent stage in India. But an Indian startup has taken the lead and has unveiled the country's first self-driving car. The Bengaluru-based AI startup Minus Zero has showcased zPod, which is shaped like a toaster like some of the other autonomous vehicles shown globally. The zPod self-driving car claims it can drive through all kinds of conditions and weather thanks to its camera-sensor suite.

One of the most unique features of the Minus Zero Zpod is that it does not have a steering wheel. Instead, it uses a series of high-resolution cameras placed strategically to analyse driving conditions, including traffic. The startup says that the autonomous car can be scaled up to Level 5 autonomy, the highest a self-driving car can have. Any autonomous car with Level 5 autonomy is capable of driving without any human intervention.

The zPod's camera-sensor suite can capture real-time images of the vehicle's surroundings and shares them with the artificial intelligence (AI) system embedded in it. The AI then processes the information through the images to navigate the vehicle to avoid obstacles, control its speed and even stop. What sets the zPod apart from some of the other global autonomous cars developed by Google's Waymo and others is that Minus Zero relies on camera tech instead of costly sensors.

As of now, the startup says that zPod is good enough for transport within an enclosed and controlled area like a campus or large residential complexes. "With true vision autonomy coming to the fore, one can make autonomous vehicles a reality, solving major pain points of the mobility paradigm,"said Reehal, Chief Executive Officer of Minus Zero. The startup was founded by him and Gursimran Kalra in 2021 with plans to manufacture fully-autonomous vehicles like Tesla and Google. It also aims to share its technology with other carmakers to further develop Advance Driver Assistant System (ADAS) in their vehicles.

Minus Zero plans to use AI to develop autonomous vehicles suitable for Indian roads. It also plans to expand its trials in foreign markets with stable regulatory norms over the next two years, including public roads.