Indian company develops country's first indigenous driverless vehicle

Mumbai: An Indian company has developed the country’s first environment-friendly, automated guided vehicle (AGV), which was demonstrated at the Auto Expo 2016 held in Greater Noida.

Gurgaon-based advanced tech company, The High Tech Robotics Systemz Ltd (THRSL), has indigenously developed the driverless shuttle—Novus-Drive.

The vehicle is capable of seating 14 people and can navigate seamlessly with the help of advanced high-fidelity sensors and robust algorithms.

The company has developed the vehicle entirely in the country in its Gurgaon facility. The vehicle is also environment-friendly, as it is battery-driven, and can navigate up to an impressive 150 kms on a single charge. The Novus-Drive can reach top speeds up to 40 km/hr.

Moreover this vehicle also incorporates other resourceful features such as 3D lidars, GPS, and stereo-vision cameras for mapping the external world. The mapping is utilised by a refined wire system drive.

Users have the option to enter a destination on a tablet mounted in the car. Consequently, the vehicle automatically starts the journey. The intelligent vehicle can reach the destination seamlessly with the help of its high-tech mapping architecture.

The company has designed the vehicle for use in controlled environments and are preferable for use in university campuses, health care facilities, carnivals, and even large parks.

According to media reports, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari lauded the vehicle and said that the vehicle is a big boost to the “Make in India” campaign.

According to the CEO of THRSL, Anup Kapuria, the Novus-Drive will revolutionise navigation in controlled environments and the company is currently burning the candle at both ends to make their vehicle more efficient.