Artificial intelligence (AI) is an evolving technology that is still growing, but it is undoubtedly getting better. 

For all we know, factories might not even need lights 20 years later, because most of them will be operated by AI. We see a lot of R&D happening within the AI framework, giving good results. Besides, we see newer frameworks coming in. 

AI-based visual inspection, too, has been growing by leaps and bounds, reshaping automotive inspection. It helps examine detailed defects in vehicles, providing automotive OEMs the opportunity for accuracy and cost-savings. 

One such company focusing on AI-based visual inspection is Lincode Labs, whose AI-backed visual inspection solution, Lincode Visual Inspection System (LIVIS), is its current focus. The company was started with complete research and understanding of the top challenges that manufacturers globally face. After interviewing close to 100 customers, 86 percent of them said that quality inspection happens to be their biggest challenge.

“We were intrigued by this and went to various quality inspection people and identified the technology they were using,” says Rajesh Iyengar, Founder and CEO, Lincode Labs, and goes on, “We went on to find out that the technology hasn’t changed for two decades and there were a lot of false calls in it. That’s when Lincode stepped in and built a product around specific challenges focused on the automotive industry.”

Automotive OEMs, too, look at specifically reducing these false calls and improving productivity, which Lincode has helped solve through its AI-backed visual inspection solution. “The industry standards were 150 to 200 false calls per million inspections. So, in our case, we are doing it in zero to four parts per million,” Iyengar cites.  

Iyengar further reveals that due to this, 80 percent of their customers are repeat orders. “That’s because they are completely happy with the inspection process and the way the inspection is automated,” he mentions.  

LIVIS
Traditional vision systems cannot catch up with AI, as Iyengar says. He avers, “LIVIS stands out because we have built it as a platform. The scalability becomes easier if you’re going to deploy it across multiple factories and locations. But also, the foremost important thing is that it is completely made as a product. Thus, AI is commoditised. With the LIVIS platform, we can bring the cost and time to deployment down.” 

Lincode’s role in the automotive industry
What’s interesting is that even if Lincode caters to the manufacturing industry as a whole, it first addressed the automotive industry. The company researched the market size of various manufacturing companies and the automotive industry took the top spot, with close to USD 542 billion of global value.  

“We started with the automotive industry but pivoted later,” Iyengar tells us and continues, “So, instead of looking at just the automotive or any other industry, we turned our attention to steel, metal, plastic, glass etc. We basically went to the surface and saw how steel and metal are produced today. Whether it’s a CNC machining or forging or casting process, these are major processes used for any industry across the globe involving steel and metal. We understood that steel and metal are dealt with in the same way globally. Therefore, it made sense to go to the surface and into these kinds of defects specifically, and then generalise that and start building a model towards it. This, plus making AI as a product, has made deployment easier across the globe.” 

R&D centre in Bengaluru
Lincode recently opened a new R&D centre in Bengaluru, which also has a significant role to play in deploying the company’s solution across the world.

Stressing on the fact that evolving models are important in AI, Iyengar states, “It’s a continuous process; it’s not that you just build a model and you’re set. We have a big roadmap in the product development, and the Bengaluru R&D centre is going to play a major role in that. We are going to conduct deep research with various data collected across the globe and do various testing with that.” 

Staying ahead
What’s more, Lincode recently closed a funding round in December last year. Catering to a constantly evolving industry like the automotive, Lincode, too, strives to make sure that its visual inspection solution stays ahead and is put to use. “There are about more than 600 parts in a car and each part is segregated – like the structure, wiring, engine components etc.,” Iyengar shares and continues, “These segregations are made so that we can target the sector of the product. For example, when it comes to engine blocks, there is a specific model with a huge data set around engine blocks. This is how we stay ahead of competition.” Iyengar also adds that their trials with various use cases made them understand that inspection alone is not important but also the way the inspection is done. 

Essential skill sets for AI vision systems
Leveraging AI-based visual inspection solutions in the automotive industry is bound to increase productivity, and the cost of labour will also come down because of automation. “Today, most manufacturers use secondary inspection, which can be cut off straight away. This will improve their productivity and also reduce the risk of delays,” Iyengar enlightens. 

Moreover, AI vision systems come with their share of essential skill sets to bring out the best in the automotive industry. Iyengar states that, in general, skilling is required for the factory people. “This could be at various levels,” he puts across and adds, “It could be for the operators, the IT administrator or even the software development team. Hence, deep training is required, which can be somewhat cumbersome because it could be a bit challenging for the operator. So, an IT person might be needed in order to help the operator every time there is a downtime.” 

Covid-19 and AI-backed visual inspection
Such training or skills could certainly come in handy, because Iyengar claims that the need for AI-backed visual inspection solutions in the automotive industry has increased since the Covid-19 pandemic. “Unplanned shutdowns happened during Covid, because of which employees could not report and manufacturing could not continue properly,” he responds and adds, “Hence, a lot of investments are happening because of this. In fact, even now, a lot of employees are still not reporting and the labour problem has become global. It has become tough to get skilled workers. This has led to the adoption of autonomous manufacturing for automotives, where AI is going to play a big role.”

Meeting industry requirements
For an industry that is an economic force globally, AI-based visual inspection is certainly meeting the high-quality requirements of the customers of the automotive sector. Plus, we already see companies like Volvo using the technology. Safety surpasses any requirement, and this requirement can be fulfilled if quality is top-notch. And quality will be at its best if automotive manufacturers can perform production quality inspections in the most efficient way. (MT)

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Solid Power, Inc., a U.S.-based developer of solid-state battery (ASSB) technology, has announced a collaboration with Samsung SDI and BMW to pursue the development and validation of a demonstration vehicle powered by ASSB technology.

The collaboration is a key step towards the commercialisation of ASSB technology, leveraging the expertise of the three companies. Under the arrangement, Solid Power will supply its sulphide-based solid electrolyte to Samsung SDI, which will then integrate it into cells. These cells will be evaluated based on performance parameters agreed upon with BMW. The ultimate goal is to develop and supply ASSB cells for integration into a demonstration vehicle.

John Van Scoter, President and CEO, Solid Power, said, “We are excited to partner with Samsung SDI and BMW to progress the development of all-solid-state batteries. Our solid electrolyte technology is designed for stability and conductivity, and by working closely with global leaders in automotive and battery innovation, we strive to bring ASSB technology closer to widespread adoption.”

Martin Schuster, Vice-President Battery Cell and Cell Module, BMW Group, said, “With Samsung SDI joining our partnership with Solid Power, we gain significant momentum on our path advancing the development of new battery cell technologies. This global collaboration is another proof point of our overarching goal: to be always in a position to offer our customers state of the art battery technology.”

Stella Joo-Young Go, Executive Vice-President of ASB Commercialisation Team at Samsung SDI, said, "Technological competitiveness in batteries would ultimately lead to innovation in electric vehicles. Samsung SDI will work closely with strategic partners such as BMW and Solid Power to take the lead in commercialisation of ASSB.”

ASSB cells are said to have the potential to offer improved energy density, battery life and safety performance by replacing liquid electrolytes with solid materials. The collaboration supports Solid Power’s objective to manufacture and sell electrolyte to Tier 1 battery manufacturers and automotive OEMs.

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Ather Energy has begun rolling out multi-language dashboard support for its Rizta scooter, enhancing accessibility for a wider audience in India.

The multi-language interface, first announced for the Rizta, will eventually support eight regional languages: Hindi, Marathi, Gujarati, Bengali, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and Kannada. The rollout commenced with Hindi, followed by Kannada, with the remaining languages set for introduction in the coming months.

Swapnil Jain, CTO & Co-founder, Ather Energy, said: “Karnataka has been home for us since the beginning. It’s where much of Ather was built, our teams, and our early community. In a state where culture and language are deeply rooted, adding Kannada to the Rizta Z dashboard felt like a natural step to make the experience more personal and accessible for our riders here. As technology becomes part of daily life, it should also feel familiar and easy to use, that’s exactly what this update aims to do.”

The Rizta, Ather’s first family scooter, is available in two models and four variants: Rizta S and Rizta Z. The variants offer an IDC range of 123 km and 159 km. The scooter features a large seat and a storage space of 56-litre, including a 34-litre under-seat capacity and an optional 22-litre frunk accessory.

Safety features include SkidControl, Fall Safe, Emergency Stop Signal (ESS) and Tow & Theft Alerts. The Rizta has found a strong connection with riders, crossing 100,000 unit sales in June of this year.

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Hindustan Zinc, a global integrated zinc producer, is advancing its mining strategy with a fleet intelligence system powered by Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT). Through monitoring of Heavy Earth Moving Machinery, the company is capturing real-time data on equipment uptime, reliability and energy consumption to optimise operations, enhance machine lifespan and elevate productivity.

The data-driven approach has led to measurable improvements across equipment categories over the last three fiscal years FY2024 to FY2026:

• Jumbo drilling machines achieved a 28 percent improvement in reliability and uptime.
• Load Haul Dumpers recorded a 24 percent rise in uptime.
• Low-Profile Dump Trucks showed an improvement of over 27 percent.
• Efficiency has also improved, seen in the Power Pack to Percussion ratio for Jumbo machines, which decreased from 3.8 to 3.4, indicating better energy use for equivalent output.

This transformation is managed by Hindustan Zinc’s Collaboration Centre, which serves as the central nerve for real-time data integration and decision-making. Data from sensors and IIoT devices, deployed in collaboration with Machine Max (a Vedanta Spark startup partner), is processed and analysed into insights for both frontline teams and strategic leaders.

Arun Misra, CEO, Hindustan Zinc, said, “With stronger data capture, cutting-edge IIoT integration and advanced analytics, we’re moving from reactive to predictive operations. The optimisation of our heavy earth-moving fleet has been a game-changer for our uptime and efficiency. This project is a clear step towards smarter, real-time decision-making and building a high-performance, energy-efficient mining ecosystem.”

The digital initiative is integral to the company’s strategy for automation, smart mining and sustainability. Hindustan Zinc is also deploying other technologies, including an AI-powered camera surveillance system that has resulted in an almost 50 percent reduction in manual intervention for safety and compliance. The company is currently working with over 20 technology startups on more than 50 projects through Vedanta Spark.

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Tier 1 automotive supplier Lumax Auto Technologies (Lumax) has inaugurated its new Technology Centre in Bengaluru, christened the ‘Smart Hub for Innovation and Future Trends’ (SHIFT).

The new facility will focus on accelerating the company’s electronics engineering and digital capabilities amid the global transition toward software-defined vehicles (SDVs).

The inauguration saw participation from Lumax’s key customers and partners, including leaders from Daimler India Commercial Vehicles, Hero MotoCorp, Mahindra & Mahindra, Maruti Suzuki India, Tata Motors and TVS Motor Company.

The new centre aims to serve as a nucleus for advanced research and product development in key areas such as in-cabin experiences, ADAS (Advanced Driver Assistance Systems), connectivity and embedded electronics.

Anmol Jain, Managing Director, Lumax Auto Technologies, said, “This centre marks a major step toward our Tier 0.5 vision, enhancing our strengths in electronics, mechatronics and digital systems. We aim to lead the transformation toward intelligent, connected and sustainable mobility and Bengaluru’s dynamic tech ecosystem provides the ideal environment for this journey.”

The tier 1 supplier stated that the component industry is undergoing a profound transformation, driven by electrification, digitisation and autonomous technologies. As vehicles become increasingly software-centric, Lumax Group is working to integrate intelligent systems and deliver seamless user experiences.

Deepak Jain, Promoter Director, Lumax Auto Technologies, said, “The launch of our Technology Centre reaffirms our long-term commitment to customer-centric innovation and technological leadership. As the industry transitions toward software-defined vehicles (SDV), the future of mobility will increasingly be driven by intelligence, connectivity and digital integration. SHIFT will enable Lumax Group to accelerate innovation, strengthen collaboration and shape intelligent mobility solutions of the future.”

The SHIFT Technology Centre is equipped with advanced electronics labs for hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) testing, rapid prototyping and product validation, enabling end-to-end innovation from concept to commercialisation.

Satish Sunderesan, CTO, Lumax Auto Technologies, said, “With SHIFT, we aim to converge talent, technology and transformation to engineer software-defined and digitally driven vehicles and evolve from smart systems to autonomous intelligence.”

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