The autonomous driving technology is being developed not just in developed nations, but also in emerging economies like India
A Bengaluru-based startup, Minus Zero, has come up with India’s first full-stack autopilot system designed in accordance with the Indian sensibilities and conditions. In the last few years, a few top car companies have been working arduously on self-driving technology. Tesla is arguably the most prominent and ambitious of them all. However, tech firms are also entering this domain as modern cars are nothing but an amalgamation of electronics, AI, ML and software. Let us check out the specifics of how Minus Zero aims to offer something which suits the Indian conditions the best.
Minus Zero Makes India’s First Full-Stack Autopilot System
Minus Zero has presented an end-to-end autopilot system designed for India’s crowded roads. The company tested the setup on busy streets in Bangalore. The goal is simple – let a car drive itself through traffic that has animals, carts, scooters, and oncoming vehicles, even when lane lines are missing. The system trains large AI models on raw driving video. It avoids the rule books that guide most driver-assist products. No human labels are needed. The model watches traffic, guesses what happens next, and learns to steer and brake by itself. That self-supervision lets it deal with unexpected moves that are common on Indian roads.
Minus Zero uses only cameras. There are no lidar scanners or costly sensors. The software also skips HD maps. High-definition maps are rare in India and hard to keep current. By reading the scene in real time, the car stays independent of mapping gaps. Tests show the car keeping its lane, passing slow traffic, and handling narrow streets. It reacts to cows, push-carts, and bikes that weave across the lane. Many of these scenes were new to the model, yet it managed without fuss. The firm still has work to do on overtakes, unprotected turns, and roundabouts. A safety driver remains ready to take over, so the system sits in the “hands off, eyes on” class.
Global brands already sell Level-2 driver aids in India. Buyers are learning to trust lane keeping and adaptive cruise control. Minus Zero argues that bigger gains will come from Level-2-plus and Level-3 features that can shoulder more of the driving task. Interest from manufacturers is growing. Minus Zero is working with two large Indian brands and talking to others. It aims to be production-ready within two years, working with partner OEMs.
Several design choices stand out. The company moved from hand-coded logic to end-to-end foundation models. Hardware is minimal, cutting costs. The camera-first stack keeps weight and power use low. Mapless autonomy avoids a big maintenance task. The AI platform covers data collection, simulation, and on-board deployment, so updates roll out fast. India and other emerging markets account for most of the world’s road deaths. Advanced driver help could cut those numbers. Yet, few ADAS products work outside rich countries. Minus Zero hopes to close that gap. If its system proves reliable, it could bring safer travel to places where traffic is anything but orderly. Pilot runs continue across more cities this year.
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