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Become A Startup Insider With Inc42 Plus
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In a connected world, smart mobility is critical for road safety, operational efficiency and productivity growth. Fully autonomous vehicles with zero human interventions are no doubt the future of mobility. But for now, the automotive dialogue revolves around integrated communications technologies powered by AI/ML-based sensor devices, and energy efficiency for a sustainable future.
Capturing real-time data on traffic, road conditions and driver’s behaviour through multiple cameras, quickly analysing the same to understand if all is well and promptly conveying it through tech alerts to truckers on the road is a smart system called ADAS (advanced driver assistance system), which is rapidly gaining traction. Set up in Bengaluru in 2015 by Avneesh Agrawal and David Julian, Netradyne is doing just that to bring down road accidents.
“We use IoT devices with multiple cameras [both road-facing and driver-facing] to track what’s happening on the ground. The data collected goes to cloud storage, where our patented algorithms and edge computing analyse it, and alarms are immediately raised [through a beep or audio]. These are industry-proven safety solutions for drivers and fleets, and we are keen to set up a new safe-driving standard for commercial vehicles,” explained Agrawal in a one-to-one interaction with Inc42.
Netradyne’s flagship product called Driver•i also extracts actionable insights from the data pulled and coaches truckers to improve their driving. This, in turn, reduces the number of accidents by 40-50%.
If Netradyne has a humane mission – media reports say as many as 19 people die hourly in road accidents across India – one cannot undermine its economic impact, either. The financial burden of road accidents is often devastating, costing most countries 3-5% of their GDP.
A Legacy Of Innovation & An AI-Driven Product For Ultimate Road Safety
“Globally, the deeptech ecosystem is fairly mature, and the US has taken the lead. We also operate from San Diego, essentially propagating that strong legacy. Our company is a proud contributor at every stage. On the other hand, India is critical for Netradyne’s R&D play. All our devices are manufactured here,” said Agrawal.
Besides India and the US, the startup operates in six more countries, including the UK, Germany, Canada, Mexico, Australia and New Zealand, and employs 800+ people globally. Additionally, it is exploring GenAI to enhance its products, as this new technology segment holds immense potential for R&D and on-road safety.
For instance, Netradyne will increase its training ability by leveraging cutting-edge tech. Although the startup analyses 600Mn miles of driving data every month, the founder-CEO now aims to invest heavily in R&D and amp up its GenAI usage to detect accident risks accurately.
“We are building a model to predict what every agent on the road will do in the next few seconds. We can predict with interesting and uncanny accuracy how pedestrians will move. Once you start making such predictions, it’s no longer a leap of faith to surmise that we can design our algorithms to be extremely safe and guide the drivers,” he explained.
India Has Got Talent, So Netradyne Is Building In India For The World
Agrawal is also enthusiastic about India’s diverse talent pool. “I believe that the Indian ecosystem is adding up and maturing. A significant part of our complex value chain, including the design, hardware, AI and cloud computing, has been developed and manufactured in India for the rest of the world,” he added.
Agrawal says the biggest transformation in deeptech is that smart people nowadays are more inclined to work in startups. This creates a deeptech ecosystem that fosters raw talent and innovation, leading to a dynamic and competitive tech landscape where companies are constantly innovating and evolving.
Netradyne, too, plans to nurture talent by ensuring that its employees have access to cutting-edge technology and value-added resources. This will strengthen its position as a leading startup and contribute significantly to the growth of technology in India and beyond.
To explore how Netradyne is powering next-gen smart mobility, watch this discussion with Avneesh Agrawal.
