Indian innovators develop autonomous driving tech, Martian batteries

Young Indian innovators are pioneering future tech. Bhopal's Swaayatt Robots is developing universal autonomous driving systems, while IIT Hyderabad researchers are creating a novel metal-free battery designed to use CO2 from the Martian atmosphere.

From autonomous vehicles navigating roads without a driver to experimental batteries designed to use carbon dioxide in the Martian atmosphere, young Indian innovators are working on technologies that could shape the future of mobility and space exploration.

In Bhopal, startup Swaayatt Robots is developing autonomous driving technology designed to be adaptable to different types of vehicles. Meanwhile, researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Hyderabad are working on a metal-free battery that could potentially use carbon dioxide available in the Martian atmosphere to support future space missions.

Universal Autonomous Driving Technology

At Swaayatt Robots, cameras and sensors mounted on test vehicles collect information about roads, obstacles and surrounding objects. The system processes this information to help the vehicle navigate its surroundings, negotiate turns and respond to changing road conditions.

The startup's focus is not limited to developing a self-driving car. It aims to create a universal autonomous driving technology that can be integrated into different vehicles.

“Our technology is designed to be installed in any type of vehicle. It is not developed for one particular car. We are building a universal driverless technology that could enable vehicles around the world to operate autonomously,” said Sanjeev Sharma, founder of Swaayatt Robots. The company uses test vehicles to demonstrate the system's capabilities and assess its performance in different driving conditions.

Behind the technology is a team working on perception, mapping and localisation — processes that help an autonomous vehicle understand its surroundings and determine its position. Sensor data is converted into a digital representation of the road environment, enabling the system to interpret objects, road layouts and potential obstacles. “I primarily work on perception, mapping and localisation. We use information from the vehicle's sensors to build a picture of its surroundings — what is present around the vehicle and what the road looks like. This information is processed in a format that the subsequent system can understand, helping the vehicle make better and more accurate decisions,” said Vinnohit, a perception and mapping engineer at Swaayatt Robots.

Metal-Free Batteries for Martian Missions

While autonomous mobility is being explored on roads, researchers at IIT Hyderabad are investigating a different technological challenge: developing batteries that could take advantage of the resources available beyond Earth. The research team is working on a metal-free battery concept that could use carbon dioxide, which is abundant in Mars' atmosphere, as part of its electrochemical process.

The research aims to explore alternatives to conventional battery systems used in space missions, where the weight of equipment is a critical consideration. Batteries transported from Earth add to a spacecraft's payload, potentially increasing mission costs and placing constraints on the equipment that can be carried.

Researchers believe that technologies capable of utilising locally available resources could offer advantages for future missions, although further development and testing would be required. “Batteries sent to Mars add to the payload because of their weight, and their performance can also involve compromises. However, Mars has an advantage: its atmosphere contains a large amount of carbon dioxide. We can use this CO₂ to run our batteries for space missions,” said Dr Ayesha Siddiqua Khan, a senior research researcher at IIT Hyderabad.

The team is also exploring the potential benefits of metal-free battery chemistry, including recyclability, safety and reduced dependence on expensive metals. Such characteristics could have applications beyond space exploration if the technology can be developed for practical use at scale. “This is a completely metal-free battery and is considered environmentally safer. The liquid used in it serves as the main source of lithium ions, making recycling easier and reducing environmental risks. It also offers advantages in terms of safety. If production begins on a large scale, it could benefit India's battery industry by reducing dependence on other countries for expensive metals,” said Keerthana, a research scholar at IIT Hyderabad.

Although the two projects address very different challenges, both demonstrate how young Indian researchers and engineers are exploring new approaches to complex technological problems. From enabling vehicles to interpret roads and navigate autonomously to investigating battery systems that could harness resources available on Mars, their work reflects the expanding scope of India's technology research ecosystem.

While both technologies require further development and validation before their wider potential can be established, they point towards a future in which innovation is driven not only by building new machines, but also by finding smarter ways to address the challenges of mobility, energy and space exploration. (ANI)

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianetnews Editorial staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)