Enhancing Vehicle Safety With Vision

Offering vision-based, cloud-connected intelligent dash cams that integrate visual insights and provide a unique and actionable feedback on driver behaviour in real-time, Netradyne – a Bengaluru-based company – is working towards enhancing safety on the road.

With products that are capable of monitoring subtle driving patterns, from adhering to traffic rules to identifying risky behaviour, the products that Netradyne is presenting capture and process data and learn continuously from new data points.

“The focus area is on increasing precision in safety systems with the goal of achieving near-perfect accuracy. The second major product is an advanced drowsy detection system,” informed Vinay Rai, Executive Vice President – Engineering, Netradyne.

Stating that the products enhance vehicle safety, fleet operations and are an outcome of much innovation, he averred, “Currently available in the US, they will be soon introduced in India.”

Engineered to integrate additional accessories mounted on the windshield to improve driver monitoring accuracy, a critical element in the case of commercial vehicles particularly, the products aim at creating a more reliable system capable of detecting fatigue in drivers with greater precision.  

Revealing that the company is making strides in predictive analysis using large language models and massive data sets that have been accumulated over billions of kilometres of driving, Rai said, “With a potential to predict the behaviour of various agents on the road including vehicles, pedestrians, animals and even objects, the technology, by analysing the data, can anticipate actions before they happen, providing a smoother and safer driving experience.”

An exciting development being the integration of vision-based technology into mapping systems, which is unlike the traditional crowd-sourced data that rely on surveys and can be out-of-date, Netradyne is employing real-time data that is captured by its system directly from vehicles that ply on the road.

What this does is to allow for quicker updates such as the identification of newly installed traffic signals, which are immediately processed and uploaded to the cloud.

Stating that an advanced drowsy detection system will be launched in H1FY26 in India, Rai said, “In the realm of fleet management, the company is also expanding its platform to offer more than just safety features.”

Planning to launch a comprehensive fleet management tool by early next year that will help companies monitor key metrics like vehicle location, driver behaviour and vehicle health in real-time, Netradyne is operating development centres in Bengaluru and San Diego, US.

Operating in almost a dozen countries including the US, UK, India, Australia and Canada, the company’s system has detected over a billion alerts across various regions. Pursuing a goal to provide businesses with critical insights into their fleets and help identify top-performing drivers and those in need of coaching, the company is catering mainly to a B2B market of commercial vehicles.

It is driving much of the innovation and tech development from India.

Market opportunities

With the research and development workforce in India accounting a major share of the developments, Netradyne – offering solutions to fleets diverse in nature – is looking at its home market in India with the confidence that the rate of adoption of driver safety systems will grow fast and steadily.

“The perception of vision-based safety systems in India is evolving, albeit slowly. India remains a cost-sensitive market, where many businesses and individuals prioritise affordability over advanced safety technologies,” Rai expressed. “There is a growing awareness about the long-term benefits of such systems, especially in terms of preventing accidents and reducing liabilities,” he said.

The change in perception is being driven by several factors, including MNCs in the commercial fleet or logistics space adopting technologies like these for safety and brand positioning. Rai averred, “While India is still several years behind developed markets in terms of safety culture and the adoption of advanced technologies, the trend is definitely moving in a positive direction. The growing awareness, both at the consumer and business levels, suggests that this shift will continue over time, even if it doesn’t happen overnight. Overall, the market for vision-based safety technologies in India is in its early stages but is showing signs of growth.” 

The company’s biggest market is the United States, which has been the focus since the company's early days in 2015. It also made a strong presence in India, UK, Canada, Mexico and Germany.

Marquardt, a supplier of mechatronic systems, has launched a concept vehicle, ‘The Centum’, to demonstrate the integration of functional controls into automotive surfaces. The project involved a collaboration with E Ink and Covestro to develop a door interior panel that embeds a responsive display within synthetic materials.

The project aimed to maintain the tactile properties of polyurethane (PU)-coated textiles while enabling a colour-changing display to remain invisible until activated. This supports industry trends toward backlit surfaces and integrated control elements.

The display technology uses E Ink, which provides a low-energy, durable electronic paper display designed for automotive environments. For coating, Covestro has developed a transparent film using INSQIN waterborne PU technology. The coating uses Impranil DLC-F, a waterborne polyurethane dispersion used in automotive topcoats.

The resulting material retains the texture of standard automotive textiles while allowing the underlying display colors to remain visible through the coating.

Felix Hake, Head of Innovation, Marquardt, said, “With The Centum, we wanted to demonstrate how intelligent functions can be integrated into interior surfaces without compromising design or quality. Working with E Ink and Covestro allowed us to create a material solution that combines a premium tactile experience with responsive visual effects.”

Dr Torsten Pohl, Global Head of Textile Coatings, Covestro, added, “This project highlights the versatility of INSQIN PU technology and Impranil DLC-F. By developing a transparent, automotive-grade PU coated synthetic compatible with E Ink displays, we were able to support Marquardt in integrating dynamic functionality into familiar surface materials.”

Pete Valianatos, Senior Director, E Ink, said, “Our e-paper display technology is designed to deliver dynamic visual experiences with low power consumption, while maintaining the robustness required for demanding applications. Collaborating with Marquardt and Covestro has enabled us to demonstrate how E Ink displays can be integrated behind coated interior surfaces, allowing automotive designers to introduce adaptive colour features without changing the established look and feel of premium materials.

Yazaki Innovations Inc (YII), the technology subsidiary of Yazaki Corporation, has announced the appointment of Manish Mehta as its new CEO and President.

Mehta has been a long-time associate of Yazaki Corporation and has spent over two and half decades with the organisation. He had joined the company as an Engineer Manager in 2001, and grew to the ranks of Vice-President Corporate Planning and Strategy in 2021.

He joined the company’s board of directors in 2023, and is now responsible for leading YII, which focusses on the integration of the parent company’s global product portfolio, manufacturing assets and product development with an approach to innovation.

The subsidiary is tasked with developing technologies across several industrial and transport segments. Its remit includes the engineering and development of solutions for the following areas:

• Mobility: Electric vehicles, autonomous vehicles, and Electric Vertical Take-off & Landing (eVTOL) aircraft.
• Industrial & Infrastructure: Aerospace, construction and agriculture equipment and PreFab Home Wiring.
• Specialised Engineering: Off-road and specialty vehicles, alongside advanced manufacturing processes.

The organisation aims to combine Yazaki Corporation’s business assets with a methodology designed to address trending technologies in these sectors.

"I am pleased to announce my new role as CEO & President of Yazaki Innovations Inc (YII). Yazaki Innovations is the disruptive technology subsidiary of Yazaki Corporation, integrating the best attributes and strengths of the company’s global product portfolio, product development, manufacturing, and business assets with a quick, agile approach to innovation. This is an exciting opportunity, and I look forward to collaborating with internal and external partners to contribute to the future growth of Yazaki," said Mehta.

TSUYO Manufacturing Pvt Ltd has appointed Naveen Kumar Amar as Senior Vice President of Finance, effective 1 April 2026. Recognised as a global finance power leader, Amar brings over 20 years of expertise in financial strategy, corporate governance and operational efficiency within capital-intensive industries. His arrival marks a strategic move as the company accelerates growth in the EV powertrain sector.

Before joining TSUYO, Amar was CFO at SpiceXpress, where he led financial restructuring, cost optimisation and drove digitisation projects. He also managed international and domestic fundraising across equity and debt. At TSUYO, he will oversee financial planning, capital allocation, and governance as the company scales manufacturing and deepens EV powertrain investments.

The company recently secured Single Window Clearance from Karnataka Government for a proposed 20-acre EV Powertrain Campus in the Dharwad–Hubli region, a hub for design, testing and production. Last month, TSUYO launched next generation electric motor technologies for India’s light commercial vehicle market, emphasising modular design, deep engineering and Make in India innovation.

The leadership team welcomed Amar, stating his appointment strengthens alignment of capital strategy with long term objectives. TSUYO is also investing in advanced manufacturing infrastructure and localisation of key EV components to reduce import reliance and bolster the domestic EV ecosystem.

Amar said, “I am excited to join Tsuyo at a crucial moment in its growth journey, as the company scales its manufacturing capabilities and strengthens its position in India’s evolving electric mobility ecosystem. With experience across diverse, capital-intensive sectors, I see immense opportunity in building a financially disciplined, execution-focused organisation that can sustain high growth over the long term. The company’s focus on the convergence of deep technology, localisation and large-scale manufacturing presents a unique platform for creating enduring value. I look forward to partnering with the leadership team to enable Tsuyo’s ambition of becoming a globally acclaimed EV powertrain company."

German automotive luxury brand Audi has launched the new RS 5, featuring a high-performance plug-in hybrid system and a rear transaxle equipped with electromechanical torque vectoring. Marketed as quattro with Dynamic Torque Control, this system manages transverse torque distribution between the rear wheels within 15 milliseconds.

The system enables torque shifts between the rear wheels regardless of the power applied. Unlike mechanical equivalents, it operates during throttle application, off-throttle states and under braking.

It features a High-Voltage Actuator that uses a water-cooled permanent-magnet 400-volt electric motor providing 8 kW and 40 Nm of output. Overdrive Gears components use actuator torque to transfer differences of up to 2,000 Nm to the driveshafts.

The differential consists of a conventional unit with a low lock percentage that distributes applied torque to the left and right shafts.

The technology is designed to reduce understeer and oversteer by directing torque to the wheel with the most grip. If the vehicle begins to oversteer in a bend, the system increases torque at the inside wheel to provide stability. Conversely, it reduces torque at the inner wheel to prevent understeer, redirecting power to the outer wheel for traction.

Control is centralised via the HCP1 (High-Performance Computing Platform), which harmonises driver inputs with environmental data. This platform interprets steering intentions to provide unfiltered transfer to the wheels.

• Electromechanical torque vectoring at the rear axle works in conjunction with front-axle supports:
• Electronic Differential Lock: Enhances front-axle traction via the brakes.
• Brake Torque Vectoring: Provides additional front-end assistance.
• Adaptive Shock Absorbers: The twin-valve units are calibrated with the rear transaxle to improve throttle response and corner entry.

The system allows for customisable driving characteristics through various drive select modes, ranging from a balanced setup to a rear-biased configuration. Audi states the ‘fixed coupling’ of this electromechanical solution ensures torque distribution remains independent of drive torque, a distinction from clutch-based torque splitters.