A video showing a driverless car moving around a college campus in Bengaluru has gone viral on social media, sparking widespread curiosity about the vehicle and the team behind it.
The video shows a seer seated calmly inside along with a few others, as the vehicle moves autonomously. It has now been confirmed that the seer is Sri Satyatmatheertha Swamiji of the Uttaradi Matha, who had visited RV College of Engineering and took a short ride in the concept driverless vehicle inside the campus.
According to sources, the project is still under development, and a formal launch is expected in the coming months. A detailed mapping and study of Indian road conditions are currently in progress to ensure the smooth and safe operation of the driverless car once it is fully ready.
The initiative is a collaboration between Wipro, the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), and RV College of Engineering, under the WIRIN (Wipro-IISc Research and Innovation Network) programme.
WIRIN is a joint platform aimed at advancing next-generation technologies through research, innovation, and design focused on real-world applications.
The partnership between Wipro and IISc was formalized through an MoU to promote collaborative research in AI, robotics, and human-machine interaction, with RV College contributing engineering expertise to the development of the autonomous vehicle.
The other areas of the collaboration include:
* Autonomous Systems - imaging, image processing, and computer vision
* Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning - including deep learning algorithms
* Data Science and Cybersecurity
* Smart Materials and Emerging Technologies
* Disruptive Design and Manufacturing
Driverless concept cars are being developed in several countries.
In India, IIT Hyderabad is also working on autonomous navigation technology and has developed vehicles that are meant for off-road uses in agriculture or mining.
The prototype vehicles currently ferry people in the institute's campus.
In the US, Tesla CEO Elon Musk has promised to roll out driverless ride-hailing services in California and Texas this year. The firm has already received the first in a series of approvals from California.
