Tata Elxsi, AEye build RoboTaxi, to demonstrate at Vegas consumer show

Bengaluru-based global design and technology services provider Tata Elxsi has announced the completion of its in-house autonomous AI (artificial intelligence)-based taxi, called RoboTaxi, in partnership with California-based AEye, an advanced artificial vision hardware provider.

The concept was developed by utilising AEye’s iDAR platform and Tata Elxsi’s autonomous stack.

iDAR is a perception-based AI system that acts as the eyes and visual cortex of autonomous vehicles. It is said to be a smart sensor that improves reliability and range of detection.

Tata Elxsi’s software middleware platform, Autonomai, was used to conceptualise the RoboTaxi feature. Autonomai uses deep learning and AI-enabled algorithms to better automotive solutions. Tata Elxsi is responsible for iDAR integration into the vehicle, for working together with the simulation, vehicle testing and demonstration stack for AEye.

“The feature allows the user to travel in a RoboTaxi from their current location to the user’s selected destination with the press of a button on the screen,” the release said.

The autonomous vehicle has been built to tackle various scenarios, such as cross-traffic detection, following the road ahead and cueing the sensor with high-definition maps and V2X  (vehicle to everything) information.

AEye is backed by investors such as Kleiner Perkins, Caufield & Byers, Intel Capital and Airbus ventures.

“Building a reference autonomous system from the ground up, based on iDAR as the artificial perception platform, is a fantastic achievement for AEye and Tata Elxsi’s autonomous driving/advanced driver assistance system teams,” said Abhijit Thatte, VP of AI and software at AEye.

Both companies will be demonstrating the advanced RoboTaxi software framework at the Consumer Electronics show (CES) in Las Vegas from January 7 to 10.