Indian Company Eyes Driver's Seat In Driverless Vehicle Technology
car&bike Team
1 min read
Jun 19, 2017, 02:55 PM
Key Highlights
- The firm is already working at various stages with all the OEMs in India
- It has already increased R&D headcount to 120 from around 50
- The company has revenue of around $10 million at present
Mid-summer, a group of IIT- graduates and their seniors were sweating it out in the outskirts of Gurugram, fiddling with their laptops to calibrate sensors as they prepare for yet another round of testing a fully driverless shuttle. The campus of Hi-Tech Robotic Systemz Ltd offers very limited space for such testing but that has not stopped the company from developing Novus Drive autonomous shuttle that can ferry over six persons, which was showcased at the Auto Expo last year.
Gaurav Singh, alumni of Carnegie Mellon University has spent close to three years on the project and for him seeing the shuttle drive on its own is a feeling that words cannot easily describe.
"This is about passion. To come up with such a product out here in India and not America, also shows what we can achieve with dedication and hard work," he said.
The company, founded in 2004 by Anuj Kapuria, who dropped out of his PhD programme at Carnegie Mellon University, has been working silently over the last decade to master driverless vehicles technology -- a domain where Google and Tesla are the front runners.
However, being an Indian company in an area where not many have ventured into, it has not been an easy journey for Hi-Tech Robotic Systemz to come up with a driverless shuttle and such technology for other vehicles.
"One of the most challenging parts is the awareness and trust among global customers about the technology coming from India for self-driving vehicles," Kapuria told PTI.
Yet, he said the company has been able to overcome the hurdle through the intellectual property which it has generated over years both in the US, Europe along with India and other emerging countries.
When asked how confident is the company of competing with the likes of Google, Tesla and other global firms in the area of autonomous driving, he said: "We are competitive to the enabling tech if not better."
Elaborating further, he said: "When we compare with Google or Tesla, we still need to clock more self-driving miles to make our autopilot and fully autonomous algorithms more robust, which we are doing by collecting lot of data with our driver assistive systems."
Kapuria said while companies in India like Hi-Tech Robotic Systemz can play their part in the global pursuit for perfection of autonomous driving technology, the government also needs to play its role to support the industry.
"We still do not have the regulatory framework to enable testing of autonomous vehicles," he said.
Expressing similar views, Ritukar Vijay, head of Robotics - Tech and Strategy at the company said: "We have the technology ready but we need more trials on real-time traffic, which at the moment we are unable to do."
So it has been an uphill task to collate data from other driver assistive systems that the company has developed and integrate to pure autonomous driving technology, he added.
Kapuria is banking on "the current forward-looking government" so that India can be "very soon among very few countries in the world with regulatory frameworks and vision for the adoption of autonomous vehicles, specifically in smart cities".
Also, driver assistive systems are something which can be mandated or users can be incentivised for reducing the number of accidents in the country, he added.
With the presence in both mobile robots and drive assistive systems, the company has revenue of around $10 million at present. It has set an ambitious target of touching $350- 400 in the next five years.
"Our core tech is globally competitive and we already are in talks with few of the North American OEMs for enabling autonomous navigation for their vehicles," Kapuria said.
Reiterating that arrival of autonomous vehicles is inevitable in the coming times, he said "all the global players realise this multi-billion dollar opportunity, which will take the complete auto industry for an overhaul".
The company is preparing itself to cash in on the opportunities. It has already increased R&D headcount to 120 from around 50 three years back. "We are living in exciting times. Being the early movers in developing the technology and intellectual property around underlying tech for autonomous and driver assistive systems, we are in a position to offer full spectrum of products ranging from Autonomy Level 0 till Level 5," Kapuria said.
The Gurugram-based firm is already working at various stages with all the major OEMs in India. "Now we are looking outwards and going global with our proven track record and long-term contracts with blue chip OEMs for driver assistive systems, AEB, autopilots and fully autonomous vehicle technology (software + hardware)," he said.
Kapuria, however, said the road towards autonomous driving would be incremental in nature. It will start from driver assistive systems such as forward collision and lane departure warnings, autonomous emergency braking, traffic assist to autonomous vehicles that ranges from highway autopilots, constraint environment autonomy till fully autonomous vehicles. Patience is the key here.
Gaurav Singh, alumni of Carnegie Mellon University has spent close to three years on the project and for him seeing the shuttle drive on its own is a feeling that words cannot easily describe.
"This is about passion. To come up with such a product out here in India and not America, also shows what we can achieve with dedication and hard work," he said.
The company, founded in 2004 by Anuj Kapuria, who dropped out of his PhD programme at Carnegie Mellon University, has been working silently over the last decade to master driverless vehicles technology -- a domain where Google and Tesla are the front runners.
However, being an Indian company in an area where not many have ventured into, it has not been an easy journey for Hi-Tech Robotic Systemz to come up with a driverless shuttle and such technology for other vehicles.
"One of the most challenging parts is the awareness and trust among global customers about the technology coming from India for self-driving vehicles," Kapuria told PTI.
Yet, he said the company has been able to overcome the hurdle through the intellectual property which it has generated over years both in the US, Europe along with India and other emerging countries.
When asked how confident is the company of competing with the likes of Google, Tesla and other global firms in the area of autonomous driving, he said: "We are competitive to the enabling tech if not better."
Elaborating further, he said: "When we compare with Google or Tesla, we still need to clock more self-driving miles to make our autopilot and fully autonomous algorithms more robust, which we are doing by collecting lot of data with our driver assistive systems."
Kapuria said while companies in India like Hi-Tech Robotic Systemz can play their part in the global pursuit for perfection of autonomous driving technology, the government also needs to play its role to support the industry.
"We still do not have the regulatory framework to enable testing of autonomous vehicles," he said.
Expressing similar views, Ritukar Vijay, head of Robotics - Tech and Strategy at the company said: "We have the technology ready but we need more trials on real-time traffic, which at the moment we are unable to do."
So it has been an uphill task to collate data from other driver assistive systems that the company has developed and integrate to pure autonomous driving technology, he added.
Kapuria is banking on "the current forward-looking government" so that India can be "very soon among very few countries in the world with regulatory frameworks and vision for the adoption of autonomous vehicles, specifically in smart cities".
Also, driver assistive systems are something which can be mandated or users can be incentivised for reducing the number of accidents in the country, he added.
With the presence in both mobile robots and drive assistive systems, the company has revenue of around $10 million at present. It has set an ambitious target of touching $350- 400 in the next five years.
"Our core tech is globally competitive and we already are in talks with few of the North American OEMs for enabling autonomous navigation for their vehicles," Kapuria said.
Reiterating that arrival of autonomous vehicles is inevitable in the coming times, he said "all the global players realise this multi-billion dollar opportunity, which will take the complete auto industry for an overhaul".
The company is preparing itself to cash in on the opportunities. It has already increased R&D headcount to 120 from around 50 three years back. "We are living in exciting times. Being the early movers in developing the technology and intellectual property around underlying tech for autonomous and driver assistive systems, we are in a position to offer full spectrum of products ranging from Autonomy Level 0 till Level 5," Kapuria said.
The Gurugram-based firm is already working at various stages with all the major OEMs in India. "Now we are looking outwards and going global with our proven track record and long-term contracts with blue chip OEMs for driver assistive systems, AEB, autopilots and fully autonomous vehicle technology (software + hardware)," he said.
Kapuria, however, said the road towards autonomous driving would be incremental in nature. It will start from driver assistive systems such as forward collision and lane departure warnings, autonomous emergency braking, traffic assist to autonomous vehicles that ranges from highway autopilots, constraint environment autonomy till fully autonomous vehicles. Patience is the key here.
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Related News
Latest Cars
Upcoming Cars
Latest News
car&bike Team | Mar 7, 2026Top Petrol Scooters in India with Largest Underseat Storage (2026)If practicality is your top priority in a scooter, these petrol two wheels offer the most generous underseat storage for helmets, groceries, and daily commuting essentials.1 min read
car&bike Team | Mar 7, 2026Maharashtra Proposes Double Green Tax, Scrappage Incentives For Old VehiclesVehicle owners scrapping BS-III or BS-IV models may get up to 30 per cent road tax concession, while proposed green tax rates for older vehicles could double.2 mins read
Jaiveer Mehra | Mar 7, 2026New Renault Duster’s Global Modular Platform Can Spawn Nexon Rival, Sedans, MPVs & MoreRenault says the new modular platform has been designed to accommodate varying top hats and models ranging from sub-4m in length all the way to 4.7 metres.3 mins read
Bilal Firfiray | Mar 7, 2026Toyota Rumion Gets New Base E Variant, Prices Now Start At Rs 9.56 LakhToyota has launched a new base E variant of the Rumion at Rs 9.56 lakh, reducing the MPV’s entry price by Rs 95,000.1 min read
car&bike Team | Mar 6, 2026QJ Motor SRK 421 RR Unveiled In EuropeThe SRK 421 RR is powered by a high-revving, liquid-cooled, 421 cc, inline-four engine which makes 76 bhp at 14,000 rpm and 39 Nm at 13,000 rpm.1 min read
Shams Raza Naqvi | Mar 6, 2026Batman Returns: Mahindra To Reopen Bookings For BE 6 Batman EditionMahindra had first launched the Batman in August 2025 when all 999 units got sold out in no time.2 mins read
Bilal Firfiray | Feb 28, 2026Tata Punch EV Facelift Review: More Range, More Sense, Less MoneyThe Tata Punch EV facelift gets a bigger 40 kWh battery, faster 60 kW DC charging, improved thermal management, and better real-world range, and all of that at a lower introductory price. But does it become a more complete package now?6 mins read
Preetam Bora | Feb 24, 2026Hero Destini 110 Review: Simplicity, RefinedThe Hero Destini 110 is a no-nonsense commuter that is simple, comfortable and above all, fuel efficient. In 2026, when buyers are spoilt for choice, is it good enough to consider?6 mins read
Preetam Bora | Feb 23, 2026TVS Apache RTX Road Test Review: Redefining the Entry-Level ADVAfter spending some time with the TVS Apache RTX in traffic, the daily commute, as well as on open highways, one thing becomes clear: the RTX is trying to redefine the entry-level ADV segment. But is it without fault?1 min read
Girish Karkera | Feb 20, 2026Road Test: 2025 VinFast VF7 AWD Sky InfinityFlagship all-electric SUV from the Vietnamese car maker gets most of the basics right.1 min read
Jaiveer Mehra | Feb 18, 2026New BMW X3 30 Vs Mercedes-Benz GLC 300: Midsize Luxury SUV FaceoffWith the new X3 30, BMW has a direct competitor to the petrol GLC 300, but which is the luxury SUV for you?1 min read