Shaju S, general manager and head of transportation business unit, Tata Elxsi, told the media ADAS would come in a big way in the next 4-5 years. Advanced driver assistance systems, or ADAS, essentially utilise a suite of sensors – such as cameras, radars (which utilises radio waves) and lidars (which uses laser) set up in the car – to help the driver in various scenarios like maintaining the lane or avoiding a collision with another road user. Tata Elxsi has been operating on ADAS for over 10 years. They began with image processing systems. Features such as driver drowsiness detection, lane keep assist, etc., are some of the features that Elxsi has worked on in the past, explained Shaju. Additionally, Tata’s electronics software firm, which operates on technologies in the transportation segment, in addition to numerous other fields, has progressed into the field of ADAS. Tata Elxsi has built its autonomous driving platform, which has all the elements required for Level 4 driving – fully autonomous driving with hands off the wheel. This platform has also been utilised by a European automaker for developing its autonomous driving program. Shaju noted that though the cost has traditionally been the largest obstacle for launching ADAS in India, that limitation is now coming down. Another improvement is that proper road infrastructure, crucial for ADAS features to work, is additionally being put in place, to an extent. But, there are still a few difficulties. Public awareness about ADAS, for one, is low. Various features available are not even being utilised to their full extent. People clearly do not understand their advantages. A lack of driving discipline is additionally a significant problem. Legislation is another constituent that could slow down the progress of ADAS. Legislation is continuing to be key here. For example, regulators are required to figure out whether responsibility should be allocated to the driver or the vehicle manufacturer in case of an accident. That is still under debate, but it is not resolved till now. Image Source