Made in India- Self driving Car

Dr. Roshy John, a doctorate holder from National Institute of Technology has developed India's first driverless car — Tata Nano Autonomous. For John, the idea of a self-driving car germinated when he escaped a near fatal accident five years back returning in a cab from the airport.

A practice head at robotics and cognitive systems, TCS, Roshy John and his team then started working on the software and algorithms in their free time and created a 3D model. John chose Tata Nano, an Indian car to test his technology. The smallest rear engine car offered John’s team good interior space for sensors, actuators and engine scanners.

Roshy John worked on same techniques as they do in testing robots and created a simulation concept, before prototyping it in real life. This let him keep investment costs at a minimum. Self-driving cars are not legalized in India and John is hoping to get permission from the traffic police soon for a road test.

They used onboard diagnostics, and a scanner to monitor the engine. An algorithm was created using multiple systems to read all parameters of the engine. Many other devices like wheel encoders to measure the speed of the wheel, multiple lidars to identify obstacles around the car, HDR cameras and GPS also helped in extracting car vitals. The data was then processed by the software to make the car 'drive' like a human.Pedal robots were connected to the accelerator, brake and clutch and linked to the software.

John's journey had its highs and lows. They were often interrogated by the police, who got suspicious about the cameras and many computers in the car. One of the successful moments for the team was when their car stopped by itself when John jumped in front of it. "Right through my career, I have encouraged my team members to experiment with advanced technology. I built this car to satiate my hunger for innovation in robotics and inspire others," he said.

The team is planning a demo event for people to experience the technology. After having invested nearly a crore in his project, Roshy John is testing the technology on other cars now.