MG Motor India partners IIT Delhi to develop in-car child safety tech

MG Motor India, the fully-owned subsidiary of China’s largest carmaker SAIC Motor Corporation, has announced its partnership with the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi, one of the most prestigious technology institutes in India, for developing technologies and applications to boost in-car child safety.

The project between MG Motor India and IIT Delhi titled ‘Geofencing for child safety through ECU control’, was announced at the FITT (Foundation for Innovation and Technology Transfer) silver jubilee function held at IIT Delhi campus on July 28, 2018.

The IIT Delhi project team is working on an application that will enable owners of upcoming MG cars in India to track and alert the whereabouts of their children, including their entry, exit in to the car as well as their seating position within the car. The application will also alert users if the car is driven beyond a pre-defined route map.

Rajeev Chaba, president and MD, MG Motor India (third from right), and Dr Anil Wali, MD, FITT, IIT (second from right), at the launch of the project.

“MG Motor India continuously looks at providing a platform to innovators, students and start-ups to develop technologies and features for our upcoming cars, that will be produced in India. This project has been conceptualised to fast-track realisation of better child safety mechanisms in cars. IIT Delhi engineers will also conduct research and development activities to explore other car features that enhance child safety,” said Rajeev Chaba, president and managing director, MG Motor India.

Dr Anil Wali, managing director of FITT, said: “IIT Delhi has been committed to developing the latest technologies in close collaboration with the leading industry players. We are glad to partner MG Motor India to research and develop applications to enhance in-car child safety, which is the need of the hour.”

MG Motor India, whose first product is slated to be launched in Q2 2019, has already undertaken various initiatives to promote innovation amongst students and start-ups. As part of its MG Innovation Program, launched in 2017 and aimed at fostering a culture of innovation in association with TiE Delhi, had shortlisted five start-ups in the automotive technology space for using their solutions in its future cars. The company also conducted a hackathon on how to make transportation safer and cleaner with Navrachna University students in Vadodara, Gujarat, where its manufacturing facility is located, in May this year.