Intel to scale up collision avoidance systems for road safety in India

The tech giant may partner with different companies and incubate start-ups to enhance vehicle safety

Intel India today pledged to work towards reducing road accidents in the country to half by 2025, with the help of an AI-based driver assistance system. Intel also plans to enable manufacturing the driver assistance hardware in India, people familiar with the matter told Business Standard.

Intel India head Nivruti Rai said the company has collected 3 million kilometres of road data in partnership with IIIT Hyderabad and CSIR-CRRI to design a safety solution for Indian roads. The company showcased Intel Onboard Fleet Services, an AI-powered fleet safety solution for commercial vehicles at the Safety Pioneers Conference organised here today.

The system, which works on customised algorithms for Indian road conditions, offers features including Collision Avoidance Systems (CAS), driver monitoring systems, fleet telematics, fleet health, and fuel efficiency features. When asked about the price, Rai said “the goal is to make it affordable for everyone. Anyone who can buy a cell phone can definitely buy it.”

The solution is currently deployed by 16 customers and it indicates that this technology can reduce the probability of accidents by 40 - 60 per cent, the company said in a statement.

India has one of the highest rates of traffic accidents in the world – responsible for nearly 11 per cent of all road fatalities across the globe with just 1 per cent of the world’s vehicles.

Six out of 10 accidents involving commercial fleets can be prevented with timely driver interventions. Moreover, the commercial fleet industry suffers efficiency losses up to Rs 48,000 crore per year due to accidents and fleet breakdowns.

The initiative is currently being run as a pilot project in Nagpur and will be implemented in other cities soon. Rai added that Intel will partner with different companies and may incubate start-ups working in the area to address different aspects of road safety. “We need partners for scale,” She said.

Intel Onboard Fleet Service is powered by a portfolio of in-cabin devices, along with a state-of-the-art cloud portal that includes actionable insights, analytics, and reports for fleet managers. The Solution includes a best-in-class advanced driver assistance system (ADAS) from Mobileye – an AI-driven collision avoidance system.

The global automotive chip shortage will not have an impact on the initiative as the problem will be solved in the next two-three years with expansion in fab capacity, Rai said. 

Last year Mahindra & Mahindra became the first Indian car maker to use ADAS with the launch of XUV700. Intel plans to expand the market base of its driver assistance system in the coming years. The company said it was working with many other companies to cater to the Indian collision avoidance system market.