Watch: How Does India’s First AI-Based Driverless Car Work?

Imagine a driverless car carrying passengers cruising on roads. It sounds like something from a sci-fi novel, doesn’t it?

However, a Bengaluru-based company Minus Zero has made it possible!

The co-founders, Gagandeep Reehal and Gursimran Kalra, were in college when the idea of building something as futuristic as a driverless car came to them. With this in mind, the duo started Minus Zero — an AI mobility company and built India’s first self-driving car called ‘zPod’.

Wondering how the car works?

It has a network of high-resolution cameras that are strategically placed on the car. These cameras capture real-time images of their surroundings and transmit them to the AI System. The system makes decisions based on these images and drives the car.

“There is no ecosystem for an autonomous vehicle in India. So when we took on the task of building an autonomous vehicle, we also took up the task of building up an ecosystem around us,” says Gursimran.

The founders also believe that the car is also a step towards safer roads as it eliminates the risks of human errors while driving. zPod can drive on any kind of environmental or geographical terrain.

While the duo was confident about their design, others were unsure if India was the right place to launch the vehicle. “There were many people who questioned us and asked us to move our innovation to a developed country, but we wanted to make it in India,” says Gagandeep.

The company has raised 1.7 million dollars in seed funding from various investors.

Watch this short video to find out how this driverless car works:

Edited by Pranita Bhat