Researchers at the National Institute of Technology (NIT) Rourkela have been granted a patent for an innovative model designed to drastically improve the reliability of future vehicle-to-vehicle communication networks. The patented technology addresses the critical challenge of message congestion in high-traffic scenarios, paving the way for safer, smarter road systems in India.

The patent, titled ‘Adaptive Contention Window Optimisation in VANETs using Multi-Agent Deep Reinforcement Learning for Enhanced Performance Model,’ was filed by Dr. Arun Kumar, Assistant Professor; Prof. Bibhudatta Sahoo, Professor and Dr. Lopamudra Hota, Research Graduate, all from the Department of Computer Science & Engineering at NIT Rourkela.

Their work focuses on Vehicular Ad-Hoc Networks (VANETs) – the foundational concept that enables vehicles in close proximity to communicate directly with one another. VANETs are essential for future functionalities like warning drivers about sudden obstacles or precipitous braking, aiding automated traffic control and assisting emergency services.

However, a core issue in VANETs is overcrowding. When multiple vehicles transmit messages simultaneously, the congestion leads to delays or lost messages, which severely compromises the system's ability to function safely.

The NIT Rourkela solution tackles this problem using artificial intelligence (AI). Their model employs multi-agent deep reinforcement learning to enable each vehicle to intelligently stagger the timing of its messages based on the real-time actions of other vehicles in the network. Instead of communications competing and colliding, the system learns to sequence and prioritise time-sensitive alerts, such as emergency warnings. This adaptive adjustment significantly reduces transmission delays, ensuring critical alerts are reliably delivered.

Dr. Arun Kumar highlighted the profound safety implications of their research, referencing the severe toll of road accidents in the country. “In 2023, India reported around 480,000 road accidents and around 172,000 deaths, many of which could be prevented using modern technologies. Our work is a step towards building safer roads and smarter cities. We envision a near future where autonomous vehicles become a reality in India, and this patent is a small step in that direction, driving the spirit of Innovate in India and Make in India,” Dr. Kumar said.

The developed model ensures that even under busy conditions, the right message reaches the right recipient at the right time, a crucial requirement for future transportation systems where vehicles must coordinate in real-time.

The enhanced communication model has broad applications across future mobility. Current VANETs use cases include:

• Electronic brake lights: Notifying drivers of braking scenarios not yet in their line of sight.
• Platooning: Enabling a series of cars to closely follow a lead vehicle using distributed acceleration and steering control data.
• Enhanced Navigation: Providing instantaneous, accurate information on current road traffic conditions.
• Emergency Response: Rapid broadcast of crucial information to vehicles in an area affected by an incident.
• Electronic Toll Collection: Providing remote access to real-time data for automated toll systems.

Prof. Bibhudatta Sahoo emphasised the practical impact of the work on national infrastructure. “The patent represents a practical step towards preparing India's road system for vehicle-to-vehicle communication. By addressing potential congestion in VANETs and providing a model for adoptive, coordinated communication, the findings lay the groundwork for safer and a more efficient traffic management. We invite researchers across institutions to join our efforts in making future autonomous vehicles and collaborate with our research lab at NIT Rourkela,” said Prof Sahoo.

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Bengaluru-headquartered ER&D company L&T Technology Services (LTTS) has announced a multi-year engagement within its mobility segment from an automotive manufacturer. The agreement involves software, connectivity and digital engineering services across vehicle technology domains. This win follows the company’s investments in R&D labs and mobility infrastructure designed for programs with global manufacturers.

The engagement covers mobility engineering capabilities, including embedded systems, digital platforms, verification and validation, cloud integration and cybersecurity. LTTS intends to use its engineering expertise and delivery frameworks to support the customer's technology roadmap. 

At present, LTTS operates 22 design centres and 100 innovation labs globally.

The agreement strengthens the partnership between LTTS and the automotive manufacturer in the area of mobility engineering. The company provides design, development, and testing services across the mobility, sustainability, and tech segments. 

Alind Saxena, Executive Director and President, Mobility and Tech at L&T Technology Services, said, “We are proud to deepen our partnership with the valued customer through this strategic engagement. LTTS brings together domain-led engineering, secure development practices and excellence in global delivery to accelerate the future of premium mobility. The win reflects the trust placed in our teams and our commitment to delivering world-class engineering at scale”.

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French technology company Valeo and NATIX Network have announced a partnership to develop a multi-camera World Foundation Model (WFM). The project combines Valeo’s research in artificial intelligence and generative modelling with NATIX’s decentralised physical infrastructure network (DePIN) to create an open-source platform for autonomous driving and robotics.

The initiative aims to move beyond perception-based models by creating a system capable of predicting future states and reasoning about physical interactions in a four-dimensional environment. The model will be trained using NATIX’s data network, which has collected 600,000 hours of video data across the US, Europe and Asia over seven months. This data provides the multi-camera inputs necessary for the spatial perception required by autonomous vehicles and robots.

The partnership builds upon Valeo’s existing open-source frameworks, VaViM (Video Autoregressive Model) and VaVAM (Video-Action Model). While these frameworks were previously trained primarily on front-camera datasets, the integration of NATIX’s multi-camera network expands the AI’s field of vision to 360 degrees.

Under the open-source framework, the partners will release models, datasets and training tools. This approach is intended to allow the research community to fine-tune models and benchmark physical AI across various driving conditions and geographic regions. The collaboration seeks to accelerate the deployment of end-to-end AI models by learning from real-world edge cases captured by vehicles in operation.

Marc Vrecko, Chief Executive Officer, Valeo’s Brain Division, said, “Since our creation in 2018, Valeo’s AI research center has been at the forefront of AI research in the automotive industry, especially in the fields of assisted and autonomous driving. Our goal has always been to advance mobility intelligence safely and responsibly. By combining Valeo’s generative world modeling research expertise with NATIX’s global multi-camera data, we are accelerating both the quality and the accessibility of next-generation end-to-end AI models, enabling the research community to build upon strong open models.”

Alireza Ghods, CEO and Co-Founder, NATIX, added, “WFMs are a once-in-a-generation opportunity — similar to the rise of LLMs in 2017–2020. The teams that build the first scalable world models will define the foundation of the next AI wave: Physical AIs. With our distributed multi-camera network, NATIX has a clear advantage of being able to move faster than large OEMs.”

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Tata Technologies has announced the completion of the 3^rd edition of its innovation hackathon, InnoVent 2026, supported by Amazon Web Services (AWS). The initiative invited engineering students to develop solutions for mobility challenges in the automotive and manufacturing sectors. The programme received participation from 10,247 students across 404 colleges in India, resulting in 2,822 projects.

The competition focused on the theme of intelligence-driven mobility for the year 2030. Participants received over 650 hours of mentoring and training from subject matter experts to convert their concepts into prototypes. The top 10 teams presented their work at the company's Hinjewadi campus in Pune before a jury of industry leaders from Jaguar Land Rover, Air India and ES-Tec Group.

Team Drushti from CMR College of Engineering & Technology, Hyderabad, secured the first prize of INR 300,000 for a system that customises vehicle infotainment for visually impaired drivers. Second place went to Team The T-Factor from Vellore Institute of Technology, Chennai, for an AI-based breakdown prevention system. Team SwarmSync from the International Institute of Information Technology (I²IT), Pune, took third place for an intelligent fleet management solution using V2X communication.

Tata Technologies offered career opportunities to all 42 finalists involved in the top projects. Furthermore, all participants were granted one-year access to the iGETIT learning platform to study emerging technologies. The finalist projects covered areas such as blockchain for vehicle security, wireless charging for electric vehicles, and AI-led battery monitoring.

The event featured a humanoid robot that performed roles such as coordinating panel discussions and interacting with attendees. A panel of industry experts discussed the global demand for engineering talent and the impact of technology on future mobility.

Warren Harris, MD & CEO, Tata Technologies, said, "InnoVent at Tata Technologies represents our conviction that the future is shaped by those who combine engineering excellence with human purpose to engineer a better world".

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Kia India has announced the re-launch of its Kia Inspiring Drive (K.I.D) Program, debuting alongside the New Kia Seltos. The initiative is a driving score system designed to monitor real-time behaviour and provide insights into habits. Accessed via the Kia Connect app, the programme will be rolled out across the company’s connected vehicle portfolio in phases.

The K.I.D score is calculated using a three-month rolling average based on parameters including rapid acceleration, rapid deceleration and sudden starts. To ensure data accuracy, the system applies a weighted value based on the specific vehicle. This methodology aims to reflect long-term driving patterns rather than isolated incidents.

The programme incorporates community-based leaderboards, allowing owners to compare scores and track their standing within the Kia community. By turning road safety into an interactive experience, the manufacturer intends to encourage responsible driving through recognition and competition.

The behaviour-based scoring system provides data to help users understand the impact of their habits on road safety. Kia is supporting the re-launch with a digital and press campaign to increase awareness among its customer base.

Atul Sood, Senior Vice-President – Marketing & Sales, Kia India, said, “Safety remains at the core of Kia’s philosophy, and with the re-launch of the Kia Inspiring Drive program alongside the New Seltos, we are taking another meaningful step towards encouraging responsible driving behaviour. By offering customers clear, data-driven insights into their driving patterns, the KID program empowers them to make safer choices on the road, while also enhancing their overall ownership experience.”

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