Minus Zero is India’s first startup building fully autonomous vehicles (AVs). Started in 2021, by two undergrads at that time, Gagandeep & Gursimran, it took on a bold mission to build AVs in India. It has come a long way since the launch of India’s first fully autonomous vehicle, zPod, this June. Minus Zero is pioneering a new approach to AI, Nature Inspired AI, which takes inspiration from the human brain to think and take decisions.

Being a non-OEM, what inspired you to contribute an autonomous driving tech like zPod to the automotive industry?

Autonomous Driving has always been an AI problem, not an automotive one. At Minus Zero, we aim to build an AI which thinks like humans. We can see AI’s impact on the automotive industry as a whole, such as it can produce safer roads than the current ones in the country where we peak in road accidents worldwide. Additionally, it can give equitable access to mobility to everyone, reduce traffic conditions and optimize the entire fleet management. More than 90% of accidents on the road happen due to human error, which we believe AI can minimize, and this motivated us to venture out into autonomous driving.

What are the significant challenges faced by the Indian autonomous vehicle industry?

The Indian autonomous vehicle industry is in a very nascent phase. It is evident from the fact that we are the first company to launch a fully autonomous vehicle in the country. From the beginning, we understood that we have to solve the AV problem for India and be the leaders in setting up the entire ecosystem around it. As a startup with limited resources, it’s a very challenging task, but that’s what we are up to at Minus Zero.

What makes zPod unique from other autonomous vehicles developed so far?

The zPod stands out from other autonomous vehicles in multiple ways. It is one of the few vehicles in the world that can run solely on camera sensors, eliminating the need for LiDARs, a big feat in the AV industry. The zPod is a perfect concept vehicle to showcase our novel approach towards AI, Nature-inspired AI, which enables it to think and act more like humans.

Another notable distinction of the zPod is that it is very computed and power efficient compared to other AVs, making it cost-effective and a sustainable solution for the world. Additionally, the zPod does not rely on costly and resource-intensive technologies like HD maps or high-precision GPS-RTK for navigation.

What are the critical problems that zPod can address?

The current mobility apparatus in the country has significant drawbacks, which we refer to as the Cost of Mobility. It is highly inefficient in four ways; it is unsafe and leads to major road accidents, the risk of traffic congestion nationwide that leads to a high wastage of productive resources and raises stress levels, it is not sustainable, and it does not follow the principles of optimized fleet management and give equal access to mobility to everyone.

As per our estimates, this Cost of Mobility leads to a massive loss of ~$22Bn to our country every year. Autonomous Vehicles like zPod can address all these problems, which will reduce the Cost of Mobility and accelerate our journey towards sustainable mobility going forward.

What is the impact of your Nature-Inspired AI approach, which is put forth, compared to the traditional AI in the autonomous vehicle industry?

Our Nature-Inspired AI approach completely transforms how AI has been perceived so far in Autonomous Vehicles. Traditional AI is not at all intelligent compared to a human brain. If at all, it is a “smart massive data-processing system”, as it requires humongous data and supercomputers to develop a fundamental understanding of the world, it fails in many scenarios.

To cover these shortcomings, companies use costly sensors like LiDARs and rely on expensive technologies like HD Maps, where they try to map every corner of the world to a millimetre-level precision. This has made the entire AV problem way too resource-intensive.

Nature-Inspired AI is an approach far more related to how humans think and act. It presents a novel approach to building generalized autonomous agents that are capable of thinking and interacting with the world intelligently. It reduces the dependency on large-scale data collection and computation, saving resources to a massive extent. It eliminates the need for costly sensor systems by making computer vision more intelligent and resourceful.

Additionally, it presents a cost-effective and sustainable solution for the world. It reduces dependency on HD maps as it constructs its maps in real-time from a feed of 360-degree camera vision. Nature-Inspired AI will democratize access to AI to everyone, lead to the development of safe and scalable autonomous vehicle solutions everywhere and ultimately lead to the development of AGI.

How safe is your concept of True Vision Autonomy regarding autonomous driving?

The concept of True Vision Autonomy, implemented in the zPod, prioritizes safety as a fundamental aspect of autonomous driving. The development of this concept stemmed from recognizing the deficiencies in the current safety system within the traditional AI approaches to AVs. By emulating the human decision-making process with greater care and consciousness, the Nature-Inspired AI, powered by camera-based True Vision Autonomy, will ensure safety comparable to human capabilities.

Rigorous testing and validation processes ensure the reliable and safe operation of the AI system under various driving scenarios. Moreover, True Vision Autonomy emphasizes the ongoing refinement of AI algorithms to improve safety measures continuously. As it encounters new situations, it learns from them and can adapt and make more informed decisions, enhancing overall safety. The focus on safety is a vital aspect of the zPod’s development and a driving force behind the conception of the True Vision Autonomy as a concept itself.

Can you briefly explain the journey of building zPod?

The journey of building the zPod began with a broader objective of developing a universal AI system to address significant challenges and solve larger problems. We started with an elementary demonstration, as you would have seen in our previous demo of the e-rickshaw back in 2021. Since then, we have refined the process and built a safe and reliable AI system that can navigate many scenarios and conditions.

As the entire system evolved and became confident, we decided to showcase it in a concept vehicle that would truly justify our vision of a future of mobility, which eventually became the zPod. This concept vehicle is a result of the rigorous efforts of our entire team in building a world-leading technology to transform the face of mobility.

Are there any plans to contribute further to the autonomous vehicle industry? What’s next in your arsenal?

The zPod is just the beginning of our journey in the autonomous vehicle industry. We are committed to pushing the boundaries and driving innovation in this field. We focus on enhancing AI capabilities, developing advanced technologies, and integrating autonomous vehicles into our daily lives. We are also taking steps to set up the entire ecosystem around it in India, from suppliers to upskilling the right talent for the industry.