The Indian Institutes of Technology are the most premium science and technology centres in the country. Home to some of the brightest technical minds in India and the world, the various IITs have earned the reputation of undertaking pioneering research and breakthrough in various tech domains, including Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning. Self-driving technology, being the most intriguing area for AI experts, is being researched extensively by students, professors and researchers at India's foremost labs hosted at the IITs. Here's the latest update.

• IIT Bombay:  Unmesh Mashruwala Innovation Cell (UMIC) is a tech team formed to embrace and develop the idea of an autonomous future. The team consists of 40+ dedicated students from various fields of study from IIT-B. The primary area of focus in UMIC is developing autonomous vehicles. The innovation cell is sponsored by the likes of NVIDIA, Reliance Industries Ltd, RoboteQ, Continental, Sparton, Texas Instruments and Maxon Motor. Team AeRoVe is aiming for the skies and is on a continuous pursuit of advancing autonomous multi-copters and fixed-wing systems for search and rescue operations. Likewise, Team SeDriCa has its feet on the ground and is developing an autonomous car for the Indian roads.
• IIT Kharagpur: Team AGV is a multi-disciplinary research group aimed at building a fully operational self-driving car. As a Research Group under the mentorship of Faculty Advisor Prof Debashish Chakraborty, the group also engage in research work related to autonomous and mobile robots involving Deep-Learning and Reinforcement agents. The team consists of 50 motivated undergraduate students from various disciplines of Engineering including Electrical, Electronics, Mechanical Engineering and Computer Science. IIT Kgp has developed their own series of Autonomous Cars called ‘Eklavya’. Alongside, they are also developing Auro 666 and a 3D mapping API.
• IIT Kanpur: As a joint activity of IIT Kanpur and Boeing Corporation, an autonomous vehicle called Abhyast is being built. The objective is to develop a robot which acts as an aid to the operator in carrying specific task rather than an entity which is in need of continuous attention of operator. The task of the vehicle is to localize itself (its position in terms of the coordinates) on the given terrain and navigate to the destination place by avoiding obstacles. The vehicle is planned to establish its connection with the operator via pre-existing GSM network, hence its application is not restricted to the range of any user established wireless networks. 
• IIT-Hyderabad: With support from the Department of Science and Technology under the National Mission on Interdisciplinary Cyber-Physical Systems (NM-ICPS), IIT-Hyderabad has set up Technology Innovation Hub on Autonomous Navigation and Data Acquisition Systems (TiHAN). It is India’s first Testbed for Autonomous Navigation Systems (Terrestrial and Aerial). For this the Department of Science and Technology (DST) has sanctioned Rs 135 crore to IIT-Hyderabad. Also known as TiHAN Foundation, it is a multi-departmental initiative, including researchers from electrical, computer science, mechanical and aerospace, civil, mathematics and Design with collaboration and support from reputed institutions and industry. 
• IIT-Delhi: Centre for Automotive Research and Tribology (CART) was established in May 2019 with a vision to promote interdisciplinary research in the area of Electric Vehicle (EV), energy storage and other relevant areas. MG Motor has teamed with IIT Delhi’s CART for research in the field of electric and autonomous vehicles. Through this IIT Delhi will support MG’s focus on CASE mobility (Connected – Autonomous – Shared – Electric); through enabling supporting research for the deployment of electric and autonomous vehicles in the urban landscape in India.

• Written with inputs from Nibedita Saha

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