Driverless 4-wheeler in Bengaluru marks its presence on the internet; users impressed

In yet another milestone from India’s IT capital, Bengaluru has announced an innovative 4-wheeler ‘zPod,’ that will take driving to an exciting level. The peculiar-looking, compact black car looks like something straight out of a Hollywood sci-fi movie. A clip featuring the AI-monitored vehicle has been making rounds on the Internet, leaving people in awe of its characteristics. Calling it a ‘Peak Bengaluru moment’, a user named Anirudh Ravishankar shared the clip on the microblogging site X. https://twitter.com/anrdh89/status/1682577037876412417?s=20 Uploaded a few days ago, the post has over 13,000 views. Check out some of the responses below: “Saw this along 27th Main Road. Guys are testing this,” wrote a user. https://twitter.com/Bruno_FON11/status/1682744831439929345?s=20 Another said, “The building of the future of Indian transportation is great." https://twitter.com/KJeevanHegde/status/1684526346125332486?s=20 An account claimed, “Gaadi toh ban jayegi but chalane ke liye roads nahi banengi. Stuck on the Silk Board forever!” (Driverless cars will be made but the roads on which they will be driven will not) https://twitter.com/LifePurposeJoy/status/1682749108371730433?s=20 Information about the same was first posted by Minus Zero, a Bengaluru-based start-up founded in 2021. With its unconventional approach, the company contributes to the world’s transition to autonomous mobility. Announcing the launch, they captioned the post: ‘“Exciting changes lie ahead for India in the next five years, and this is just the beginning.”

The video amassed over 800 likes and lots of reactions. “This would be a great idea for tourist spots, shared vehicle, dedicated vehicle entries, government complexes, factories, industrial complexes, offices, large apartment complexes basically anywhere golf carts are used. Later for personal use,” suggested a user. Another wrote, “This thing can literally replace auto rickshaws.” A comment read, “What will happen to Bangalore ka autowallas? With whom will they fight then?”

Key highlights of ‘zPod’

With its sought-after features, the artificial intelligence-based vehicle comes with high-resolution cameras, a potential for ‘Level 5’ autonomy and self-driving capabilities that do not require human intervention. The major highlight is the lack of a conventional steering wheels and a comprehensive camera-sensor suite. It captures the surroundings and feeds data to an embedded AI system. It is through this processing of the visual information that the smart technology avoids obstacles, controls speed, and stops precisely. The compact vehicle is designed for enclosed and controlled environments like residential communities.