When we think of autonomous driving, we think of cars like Tesla and other foreign brands. However, there are homegrown start-ups in India that are now creating autonomous vehicles designed to drive in the erratic conditions of Indian roads. Recently, Swaayatt Robots, a Bhopal-based company working on the development of Level 5 autonomous driving systems, shared a video online. In this short clip, their Mahindra Thar “Deep Xplorer” was seen dodging motorists and cars on an off-road trail in real time.
Autonomous driving vehicle dodges obstacles in real time
This impressive video of the Mahindra Thar “Deep Xplorer” driving in off-road conditions without any driver assistance has been shared online. It starts off with Sanjeev SharmaFounder and CEO of Swaayatt Robots, explaining the context. He mentions that their new vehicle, the “Deep Xplorer,” which is a three-door Mahindra Thar fitted with their Level 5 autonomous driving system, will be driving on a rough road simulating a village.
Following this, he adds that the vehicle will be completely driverless and passengerless, and it will be driven by their in-house developed autonomous driving system. What makes this test more interesting is that the Swaayatt Robots team members will be blocking the way of this vehicle at will. He also highlights that their first autonomous system-equipped vehicle, the “Xplorer,” will also be blocking the way of this vehicle.
Soon after this introduction, the Mahindra Thar “Deep Xplorer” is shown driving on the dirt road without any driver. We can note that the vehicle is fitted with various cameras and sensors, along with many LED lights. We can observe that a bike rider comes in front of the vehicle from the left side and slows it down.
Next, the Bolero “Xplorer” overtakes this Thar and stops in front of it. Due to this, the Thar, which was driving at a speed of around 30 kmph, immediately slows down and avoids any collision. It even maneuvers around the stopped Bolero “Xplorer.”
After this, multiple other bikers try to block the path of this vehicle, and it successfully dodges every single one. At one point, a Toyota Fortuner also comes from the wrong side, and this Thar with the Level 5 autonomous driving system is able to avoid a collision.
Level 5 autonomous driving system for Indian roads
As per Swaayatt Robots, their “Deep Xplorer” Mahindra Thar test vehicle has been equipped with a Level 5 autonomous driving system. This system is capable of real-time obstacle detection, collision avoidance, motion planning, decision-making in unpredictable scenarios, and negotiation with other vehicles.
It can also detect random cross-traffic and unstructured terrain. The entire demonstration seen above was done without any human presence inside the vehicle. As per the company, it was done to showcase that they can push the limits of off-road autonomous driving.
Additionally, it also shows the capability of their system on unstructured Indian roads, which are very common. Lastly, this demo also highlights that their system is capable of handling aggressive and unpredictable traffic and operates without predefined rules.
Swaayatt Robots is a Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh-based startup that mainly focuses on autonomous navigation and AI-driven decision-making for vehicles. The company also develops autonomous driving software that can be integrated into any vehicle with the necessary controllers and computational hardware. It aims to create cost-efficient autonomous systems for vehicles in India and across the globe.
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