Autonomous driving technology: Challenges and opportunities in India

While companies around the world are driving resources and research towards driverless technology, the current adoption of autonomous technology in India is limited to cruise control and the development of V2V systems. Why? Because autonomous driving technology requires good infrastructure, in-depth vehicle driving data, and robust internet connectivity – and gaps in these areas can give rise to significant barriers that impact the efficacy and adoption.The autonomous conundrum: Challenges for driverless technology in IndiaTake, for instance, the intracity road infrastructure and the unique challenges of on-road mobility in the country. Roads, even in top metropolises such as Delhi and Mumbai, remain riddled with potholes. Stray animals such as dogs and cows regularly find their way onto the road while most pedestrians are in the habit of playing a daring game of ‘catch me if you can’ with onrushing traffic.There are many instances of drivers not obeying the traffic rules, while many of the vehicles found on Indian roads – such as crude motorized units put together by users from low-income groups – are unique to the country. These challenges are not new to anyone who has spent any time travelling on Indian roads, but they do present a significant hurdle to the deep learning technology that is crucial for autonomous driving.The country also lags in terms of internet-connected car technology, one of the building blocks for autonomous driving technology. Real-time data transmission is critical to ensuring a successful and safe implementation of autonomous driving technology. While telecom providers such as Vodafone-Idea, Airtel, and Reliance Jio are already providing machine-to-machine (M2M) communications solutions, the primary problem remains that high-speed internet connectivity is so far accessible to only a small percentage of the population.