Indian startups compete in race for affordable autonomous driving

Bengaluru-based robotics engineer Mankaran Singh posted this on X late last year: “My second hand redmi note 9 pro running flowpilot is driving my alto k10. Can it get more desi than this?” The video shows the small hatch speeding on a highway in pouring rain. There’s no driver.
The video, which went viral, was a 49-second clip of FlowPilot in action, an early iteration of what’s apparently a plug-and-play assisted-driving system being tested in India. Apart from global attention, it also sparked debate among engineers and enthusiasts on the merits of frugal innovation and possible safety risks.