Bangalore-based AI firm forays into automotive

Bangalore-based Intuition Systems, an Artificial Intelligence (AI) company founded in 2013 by two brothers Arun Asaithambi, a PhD graduate with background in bio-technology and Anand Asaithambi a mechanical engineer, is foraying into the automotive industry. The company consists of a team of around 20 people and claims that it was the first POS system company in India to use an AI-based software platform for restaurant and retail industry.

The company, which focuses on point-of-sale (POS) system and payment products, has announced that it will develop an urban commuter automobile under the brand name Kat Motors.

Intuition Systems says that its expertise in developing AI-based products will help solve some of the transportation issues in fast-growing economies like India, including crowded cities, high pollution, unsafe roads, poor logistics, unintelligent and unreliable traditional vehicles.  

The company says the urban automobile developed by Kat Motors  will be intelligent, semi-autonomous, electric and hybrid, pollution free, cost-effective and reliable. The vehicle will be exclusively designed to serve crowded Indian and Asian cities at present. It says the first vehicle will be introduced by 2020. The company will also simultaneously test the feasibility of efficient, autonomous airborne consumer transportation vehicles to take the load off Indian roads.

New AI platform
According to the company, the vehicle will be powered by a powerful Artificial Intelligence (AI) platform called ‘Ive’, which is an extension of its proprietary developed AI platform used for payments and POS industry. It claims the first prototype currently being built will be an autonomous, electric/hybrid, cost, time and space efficient vehicle code named 'Project-Puli'. The company is targeting to launch the vehicle in India by 2020.

Anand Asaithambi, co-founder, Intuition, said, "Kat Motors will revolutionise conventional transportation in India. Recently, Delhi suffered from a severe pollution crisis; this could be averted if we have Kat Motors' 'Puli' on the road."

Arun Asaithambi, co-founder of Intuition, added, "Intuition Systems will use an advanced AI and electric/engine hybrid system to power these new lines of semi-autonomous cars and will compete with leading companies across the globe, and has the potential to emerge as a clear leader in India very soon."