Continental, a global technology company, has partnered with the Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) to scale up OnBoard, an innovative solution designed to enhance mobility for visually impaired passengers. This initiative, launched in 2023 under Continental’s CSR programme Conscience, was developed in collaboration with IIT Delhi and the Raised Lines Foundation (RLF). The technology assists visually impaired individuals in safely boarding buses by providing real-time audio cues.

Following a successful pilot on 25 BMTC buses, the project has now expanded to an additional 100 buses, with plans to equip 500 buses across Bengaluru. The announcement was made during a press conference at the BMTC Central Office, attended by Karnataka’s Transport Minister, Ramalinga Reddy.

OnBoard was initially developed at IIT Delhi with support from the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) and the Department of Science and Technology (DST). The technology was later transferred to RLF, an IIT Delhi-incubated nonprofit. The system uses bus-mounted speakers to announce route numbers and guide passengers to entry doors, ensuring a seamless boarding experience.

So far, installations have been completed on the 401K and 401R routes, with the next phase set to begin in mid-July. Production of additional units is underway, with full implementation expected by August 2024. Extensive field testing conducted by RLF and Enable India in Bengaluru confirmed the device’s effectiveness under various weather conditions, including rain, heat and dust while maintaining stable connectivity.

The launch event featured a live demonstration and media interactions, emphasising the importance of public-private partnerships in advancing inclusive mobility solutions. Continental and BMTC’s collaboration highlights a shared commitment to making public transportation accessible for all.

Prashanth Doreswamy, President and CEO, Continental, said, “At Continental, we believe that mobility must be inclusive and accessible, it should lie at the very core of innovation. Therefore, through our CSR initiative, we aim to empower every individual with the freedom of movement. Technology has opened up a world of possibilities, and this is just a steppingstone. As a technology company, we see it as our responsibility to help shape the future of mobility, which is not just connected, autonomous, shared and electric but also inclusive. We are proud to work with BMTC in supporting the vision of a more connected and accessible Bengaluru.”

Ramachandran R, Managing Director, Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC), said, “This project is a flagship initiative for inclusive urban mobility in Bengaluru. BMTC recognises that OnBoard is a crucial step towards making the city’s public transport system more accessible and inclusive, bringing it on par with other leading global cities. At BMTC, we are fully committed to this initiative and are aligning all internal efforts to ensure its smooth and timely deployment across our fleet.”

Prof M Balakrishnan, Honorary Professor, IIT Delhi and Chairman, Raised Lines Foundation, said, “Industry-academia collaboration has always been crucial while addressing any real-world challenges, and the OnBoard solution is a testament to that. Its deployment across the BMTC network will allow visually impaired individuals to navigate public transport. At IIT Delhi, we are excited and very proud to see a technology we have contributed to making such a meaningful difference in people’s lives, bringing the benefits of inclusive design to the heart of urban mobility. At Raised Lines Foundation, our mission has been empowerment of persons with visual impairment by providing access to inclusive solutions with focus on mobility, education and independent living.”

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Bosch and Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. have announced an expansion of their strategic collaboration to include Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS). This move builds upon their established partnership in cockpit solutions and aims to address the automotive industry's requirement for scalable technology in automated and connected vehicles.

Bosch stated it has now delivered more than 10 million vehicle computers globally using Qualcomm’s Snapdragon Cockpit Platforms.

The extended agreement includes new production programmes for ADAS that utilise Bosch’s vehicle computer architecture powered by the Snapdragon Ride platform. A central component of this collaboration is the development of platforms that combine cockpit and ADAS functions on a single system-on-chip (SoC).

This integration is designed to align with the strategic shift towards software-defined vehicles, allowing automakers to reduce architectural complexity, power consumption, and manufacturing costs.

The Bosch ADAS integration platform is designed as a modular computer capable of fusing data from multiple sensors to create a 360-degree environment model. This system supports a range of functions from entry-level assistance, such as lane keeping and distance regulation, to higher-level automated driving. The joint engineering efforts have already secured several design wins in the East Asian market, with the first vehicles featuring these consolidated platforms expected to enter the market in 2028.

By migrating from numerous individual control units to a small number of high-performance computers, the partnership provides a path toward centralised vehicle architectures.

These solutions are engineered to meet safety standards up to ASIL-D while enabling consumer features such as hands-free driving and intelligent automated parking across various vehicle segments.

Christoph Hartung, Member of the Bosch Mobility business sector board, said, “By combining leading-edge compute technology with our system integration expertise – hardware, software, and safety – we enable automakers to meet the rising demand for personalised, safe and comfortable driving experiences. The growing success of our collaboration with Qualcomm Technologies underlines a central value Bosch brings to the industry: we provide the robust, high-performance computing platforms that form the backbone of today’s software-defined vehicle.”

Nakul Duggal, EVP and Group GM, Automotive, Industrial and Embedded IoT, and Robotics, Qualcomm Technologies, said, “Our collaboration with Bosch spans the full spectrum of vehicle compute – from high‑performance cockpit systems to scalable automated driving solutions and emerging centralised vehicle architectures – all powered by Snapdragon Digital Chassis automotive platforms. ADAS is where performance and safety must scale in the real world. By expanding our work with Bosch into production-ready ADAS platforms, we’re helping automakers bring advanced driver assistance across vehicle lines more efficiently, with a clear path to centralised compute.”

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Toyota Kirloskar Motor (TKM) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Wipro 3D to create a Centre of Excellence (CoE) for additive manufacturing. The facility will be located at the Toyota Technical Training Institute (TTTI) in Bidadi, Bengaluru. The partnership is intended to facilitate skill development and the integration of 3D printing technologies into production environments.

The centre will provide students with exposure to industrial applications of additive manufacturing, including rapid prototyping and the development of production aids. Wipro 3D will provide technical expertise and training modules covering internships, apprenticeships and workshops. The curriculum will also incorporate digital manufacturing and resource optimisation as part of an emphasis on Industry 4.0 technologies.

By leveraging these manufacturing capabilities, the initiative aims to reduce lead times and improve assembly line efficiency. The TTTI, which focuses on vocational education in trades such as mechatronics and welding, doubled its intake to 2,400 students in 2023. This collaboration aligns with the institution's objective to build technical talent for the automotive sector.

G Shankara, Chief Strategy Officer, Toyota Kirloskar Motor, said, "Our Human Resource Development philosophy at TKM follows core principles of Toyota such as, Continue the Quest for Improvement, Show Respect for People, under which we thrive hard to develop individuals in the Latest Technology of the New Age Era of automotive field. We are also committed to nurturing skilled talent and strengthening India’s manufacturing ecosystem. This collaboration will play an imperative role in nurturing future-ready talent, while contributing meaningfully to the Government’s Skill India Mission.”

Yathiraj Kasal, Business Head and General Manager, Wipro 3D, added, “This association reflects our commitment to strengthening India’s manufacturing ecosystem through capability building and innovation, while creating industry-relevant learning experiences.”

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TomTom has introduced Unified Speed Restrictions, a new service providing updated speed limit data for global regulatory compliance and Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS). The service is designed to help vehicle manufacturers exceed the minimum requirements of Intelligent Speed Assistance (ISA) regulations.

The service integrates multiple static and live data sources into a single output. By combining various inputs, the system provides continuous updates to vehicle software to ensure speed limit identification remains accurate across different driving environments.

Data sources utilised include:

• Unsigned speed limits: Based on regional road classifications.
• Roadside sign recognition: Camera-based detection of physical signs.
• Probe data: Aggregated information from connected vehicles.
• Variable speed limits: Real-time data from electronic overhead gantries.

Beyond safety compliance, the service supports automated driving functions by providing data for predictive path planning and smoother vehicle manoeuvres.

The solution is available as an API or pre-integrated within the TomTom ADAS SDK. The SDK is modular, allowing manufacturers and Tier 1 suppliers to incorporate the data into existing software stacks without vendor lock-in. This architecture is intended to reduce development costs and accelerate the deployment of predictive assistance features.

Manuela Locarno Ajayi, SVP of Product Engineering, TomTom, said, “Accurate and trusted speed information is foundational to road safety, regulatory compliance and automated driving at scale. With Unified Speed Restrictions, we are equipping automakers with a globally consistent, future‑ready foundation that reduces complexity, enabling higher levels of automation.”

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Detroit Engineered Products (DEP) has introduced DEP AIWorks, an engineering platform designed to integrate machine learning with physics-based simulation. The launch follows the conclusion of a five-city industry conclave held across Bengaluru, Delhi NCR, Hyderabad, Pune and Chennai.

DEP AIWorks is built as a physics-agnostic and tool-agnostic environment, allowing it to function across various datasets and engineering domains. The platform combines neural networks and physics-informed models with computer-aided engineering (CAE) solvers to provide predictive and generative capabilities within the product development lifecycle.

Core features of the platform include modular architecture, operational speed and ecosystem compatibility.

The platform is intended for use in the automotive, aerospace, energy, manufacturing and telecommunications sectors. It supports various stages of development, from early design exploration to manufacturing validation. By utilising data-driven learning alongside physics-based validation, the system aims to improve engineering productivity and accelerate decision-making cycles.

Radha Krishnan, President & Founder, DEP, said, “DEP AIWorks reflects the next step in how engineering organisations will adopt AI, not as a standalone tool, but as an integrated part of the product development lifecycle. By combining decades of simulation expertise with advances in AI, we are enabling teams to move faster while maintaining engineering rigor and reliability.”

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