Minus Zero Unveils India’s First Autonomous Car, The zPod, With Support From Nvidia Executives And Chiratae

India’s first autonomous or driverless automobile, the z-Pod, has recently been presented by Bengaluru-based AI startup Minus Zero.

Using only cameras, Minus Zero’s z-Pod technology enabled fully autonomous driving. The small business gave the name “Nature-Inspired AI” to their cutting-edge AI technology. The startup’s patented technology is adapted for Indian roadways and is less dependent on large amounts of data and expensive sensors like LIDAR.

The first passengers in the Z Pod are TCM Sundaram, founder and vice chairman of Chiratae Ventures, and Kris Gopalakrishnan, co-founder of Infosys.

Gagandeep Reehal and Gursimran Kalra founded Minus Zero in 2021. Chiratae Ventures, JITO Angel Network, a few top NVIDIA executives, and Uber rival Lyft led the $1.7 million seed round fundraising in May 2021.

The z-Pod does not have a steering wheel, and the strategically positioned high-resolution cameras assist the vehicle in monitoring traffic and other driving circumstances.

The autonomous vehicle’s surroundings are recorded using a camera-sensor suite that is also used by the AI system built inside it. In turn, the data is analysed by the AI through photos to assist zPod in controlling its speed, dodging objects, and coming to a complete stop.

According to the startup, the self-driving car can be scaled up to “Level 5” autonomy, which is the highest level of autonomy for driverless cars. At this level, the driver is completely dispensable during travel, the car can handle any type of weather, and it is no longer restricted to geo-fenced areas.

With z-Pod, Minus Zero has made a significant advancement in the field of autonomous vehicles by reducing the cost of the vehicle from R&D to manufacturing by doing away with the need for expensive equipment and technology. Additionally, it reduced the amount of huge data needed to train the AI model.

The business has previously created a prototype for an autonomous three-wheeler for Indian roadways. It made use of an AI that can accurately extract 3D data from a 2D camera image.

Eight 2D cameras that Minus Zero fitted in the e-Rickshaw serve as the vehicle’s “eyes” and collect data; radars and ultrasonics serve as backup data collectors in the event that one or more cameras malfunction.