Artificial intelligence (AI) is an evolving technology that is still growing, but it is undoubtedly getting better. 

For all we know, factories might not even need lights 20 years later, because most of them will be operated by AI. We see a lot of R&D happening within the AI framework, giving good results. Besides, we see newer frameworks coming in. 

AI-based visual inspection, too, has been growing by leaps and bounds, reshaping automotive inspection. It helps examine detailed defects in vehicles, providing automotive OEMs the opportunity for accuracy and cost-savings. 

One such company focusing on AI-based visual inspection is Lincode Labs, whose AI-backed visual inspection solution, Lincode Visual Inspection System (LIVIS), is its current focus. The company was started with complete research and understanding of the top challenges that manufacturers globally face. After interviewing close to 100 customers, 86 percent of them said that quality inspection happens to be their biggest challenge.

“We were intrigued by this and went to various quality inspection people and identified the technology they were using,” says Rajesh Iyengar, Founder and CEO, Lincode Labs, and goes on, “We went on to find out that the technology hasn’t changed for two decades and there were a lot of false calls in it. That’s when Lincode stepped in and built a product around specific challenges focused on the automotive industry.”

Automotive OEMs, too, look at specifically reducing these false calls and improving productivity, which Lincode has helped solve through its AI-backed visual inspection solution. “The industry standards were 150 to 200 false calls per million inspections. So, in our case, we are doing it in zero to four parts per million,” Iyengar cites.  

Iyengar further reveals that due to this, 80 percent of their customers are repeat orders. “That’s because they are completely happy with the inspection process and the way the inspection is automated,” he mentions.  

LIVIS
Traditional vision systems cannot catch up with AI, as Iyengar says. He avers, “LIVIS stands out because we have built it as a platform. The scalability becomes easier if you’re going to deploy it across multiple factories and locations. But also, the foremost important thing is that it is completely made as a product. Thus, AI is commoditised. With the LIVIS platform, we can bring the cost and time to deployment down.” 

Lincode’s role in the automotive industry
What’s interesting is that even if Lincode caters to the manufacturing industry as a whole, it first addressed the automotive industry. The company researched the market size of various manufacturing companies and the automotive industry took the top spot, with close to USD 542 billion of global value.  

“We started with the automotive industry but pivoted later,” Iyengar tells us and continues, “So, instead of looking at just the automotive or any other industry, we turned our attention to steel, metal, plastic, glass etc. We basically went to the surface and saw how steel and metal are produced today. Whether it’s a CNC machining or forging or casting process, these are major processes used for any industry across the globe involving steel and metal. We understood that steel and metal are dealt with in the same way globally. Therefore, it made sense to go to the surface and into these kinds of defects specifically, and then generalise that and start building a model towards it. This, plus making AI as a product, has made deployment easier across the globe.” 

R&D centre in Bengaluru
Lincode recently opened a new R&D centre in Bengaluru, which also has a significant role to play in deploying the company’s solution across the world.

Stressing on the fact that evolving models are important in AI, Iyengar states, “It’s a continuous process; it’s not that you just build a model and you’re set. We have a big roadmap in the product development, and the Bengaluru R&D centre is going to play a major role in that. We are going to conduct deep research with various data collected across the globe and do various testing with that.” 

Staying ahead
What’s more, Lincode recently closed a funding round in December last year. Catering to a constantly evolving industry like the automotive, Lincode, too, strives to make sure that its visual inspection solution stays ahead and is put to use. “There are about more than 600 parts in a car and each part is segregated – like the structure, wiring, engine components etc.,” Iyengar shares and continues, “These segregations are made so that we can target the sector of the product. For example, when it comes to engine blocks, there is a specific model with a huge data set around engine blocks. This is how we stay ahead of competition.” Iyengar also adds that their trials with various use cases made them understand that inspection alone is not important but also the way the inspection is done. 

Essential skill sets for AI vision systems
Leveraging AI-based visual inspection solutions in the automotive industry is bound to increase productivity, and the cost of labour will also come down because of automation. “Today, most manufacturers use secondary inspection, which can be cut off straight away. This will improve their productivity and also reduce the risk of delays,” Iyengar enlightens. 

Moreover, AI vision systems come with their share of essential skill sets to bring out the best in the automotive industry. Iyengar states that, in general, skilling is required for the factory people. “This could be at various levels,” he puts across and adds, “It could be for the operators, the IT administrator or even the software development team. Hence, deep training is required, which can be somewhat cumbersome because it could be a bit challenging for the operator. So, an IT person might be needed in order to help the operator every time there is a downtime.” 

Covid-19 and AI-backed visual inspection
Such training or skills could certainly come in handy, because Iyengar claims that the need for AI-backed visual inspection solutions in the automotive industry has increased since the Covid-19 pandemic. “Unplanned shutdowns happened during Covid, because of which employees could not report and manufacturing could not continue properly,” he responds and adds, “Hence, a lot of investments are happening because of this. In fact, even now, a lot of employees are still not reporting and the labour problem has become global. It has become tough to get skilled workers. This has led to the adoption of autonomous manufacturing for automotives, where AI is going to play a big role.”

Meeting industry requirements
For an industry that is an economic force globally, AI-based visual inspection is certainly meeting the high-quality requirements of the customers of the automotive sector. Plus, we already see companies like Volvo using the technology. Safety surpasses any requirement, and this requirement can be fulfilled if quality is top-notch. And quality will be at its best if automotive manufacturers can perform production quality inspections in the most efficient way. (MT)

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Recyclekaro, an e-waste and lithium-ion battery recycling firm, has been cleared for eligibility under the Incentive Scheme for Promotion of Critical Mineral Recycling. The scheme is administered by the Ministry of Mines under the National Critical Minerals Mission.

The company has committed an investment of approximately INR 3 billion to expand its operations. This brownfield expansion aims to increase total processing capacity to 50,000 metric tonnes.

Its targeted waste streams for mineral recovery include spent lithium-ion batteries, electronic circuit e-waste, rare earth magnets and spent catalytic converters.

The project is designed to increase the domestic recovery of lithium and rare earth elements, reducing reliance on mineral imports for the electric mobility and renewable energy sectors.

Recyclekaro plans to invest over INR 5 billion over the next five years into a research and development facility. This centre will focus on technologies for the recovery of rare earth and critical minerals. The objective of the expansion is to align with national resource security and circular economy targets.

Rajesh Gupta, Founder and Managing Director, Recyclekaro, said, “We are proud to have secured eligibility under the Government of India’s Critical Mineral Recycling Incentive Scheme and sincerely commend the Ministry of Mines for instituting a visionary and robust framework under the National Critical Minerals Mission. This marks a decisive step toward strengthening India’s energy security that relies on securing critical minerals domestically. This will support India’s net zero goals. Over the past 15 years, we have built world-class in-house technologies, conducted thousands of pilot-scale experiments, and are now investing over INR 5 billion next 5 years in our newly developed R&D facility. It is going to be amongst the biggest privately owned facilities in India dedicated to rare earth and critical mineral recovery. At Recyclekaro, we remain deeply committed to this national movement and invite researchers, innovators, and technology partners to collaborate in accelerating India’s clean energy and circular economy transition.”

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Kochi-headquartered deep-tech company RoshAi has raised INR 220 million in funding, which was led by IAN Alpha Fund, part of the IAN Group.

The capital is designated for product development, expansion of deployments and scaling operations across international industrial markets.

RoshAi develops autonomy solutions that can be retrofitted to existing heavy vehicles in sectors such as ports, mining and logistics. This approach allows operators to implement driverless operations without the requirement for new fleet investments.

The technology stack comprises three primary components:

Retrofit Hardware: Physical kits to enable autonomous control of conventional vehicles.

In-Vehicle Autonomy System: AI-powered software and sensors for navigation and obstacle detection.

Cloud-Based Fleet Management: A platform for remote monitoring and operational coordination.

The company reports that its systems have completed over 100,000 km of testing with no safety incidents.

The global industrial autonomous vehicle market is projected to reach USD 162.8 billion by 2030, up from USD 47.6 billion in 2024. RoshAi aims to capture this growth by targeting the United States, Australia and Southeast Asia. It currently collaborates with Tier 1 original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and industrial operators on pilot projects.

Sarika Saxena, Managing Partner, IAN Alpha Fund, said, “RoshAi is solving industrial autonomy through a retrofit-first approach, enabling operators to upgrade existing fleets rather than invest in new infrastructure. With strong early validation, repeat customer engagement, and a scalable autonomy platform, the company is well-positioned to build a globally relevant deep-tech business from India.”

Roshy John, Founder & CEO, RoshAi, added, “Our focus is to make industrial operations safer and more efficient by enabling existing fleets to operate autonomously. This investment allows us to accelerate product development, scale deployments across global markets, and continue building a robust autonomy platform for industrial use cases. We are glad to have IAN’s support as we move into this next phase.”

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Yuma Energy, a battery-as-a-service (BaaS) and infrastructure provider, has partnered with Quantum Energy, an Indian electric two-wheeler manufacturer. The collaboration enables battery swapping compatibility for the Quantum Bziness, an electric scooter designed for commercial and last-mile mobility applications.

The partnership aims to address vehicle downtime by integrating Quantum’s vehicle engineering with Yuma’s energy network. Yuma Energy reports a network uptime of 99.9 percent, allowing users to exchange depleted batteries for charged units.

The collaboration will focus on fleet operators, businesses and independent commercial riders. The aim is to maximise vehicle uptime by removing the requirement for stationary charging.

The collaboration is intended to lower operational costs and environmental impact for commercial EV users. By providing a scalable energy infrastructure, the companies seek to remove barriers to adoption in the high-utilisation transport segment.

Muthu Subramanian, MD & GM, Yuma Energy, said, "Electric mobility must work for the people who depend on their vehicles every day. Our partnership with Quantum Energy ensures that riders using the Quantum Bziness can operate without interruptions. By making battery swapping as fast and simple as refuelling, we are enabling productivity, improving earnings potential, and accelerating India’s transition to sustainable mobility."

Chakravarthi C, Managing Director, Quantum Energy, added, "At Quantum Energy, we design and manufacture vehicles that solve real mobility challenges. Integrating Yuma’s battery swapping solution with the Quantum Bziness enhances convenience and operational efficiency for commercial users, reinforcing our commitment to delivering practical and scalable EV solutions."

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The BMW Group has entered into a cooperation with Croatia’s Rimac Technology to equip the new all‑electric BMW i7 with advanced battery systems. This collaboration focuses on integrating BMW’s in‑house developed Gen6 technology into the flagship electric sedan, aiming to deliver superior range and faster charging capabilities.

At the heart of this project is the Gen6 lithium‑ion cylindrical cell, specifically the 4695 format, which offers a 20 percent higher volumetric energy density than the prismatic cells used in the previous Gen5 system. By combining the Gen6 cell technology with the established Gen5 module design, the high‑voltage battery enables a significantly increased driving range for the BMW i7. Additionally, the new setup boosts charging capacity and cuts charging time, greatly benefiting customers. The world premiere of this model is scheduled for 22 April at Auto China 2026 in Beijing.

Rimac Technology, a Tier 1 supplier within the Rimac Group, produces these high‑voltage batteries using state‑of‑the‑art equipment at its Croatian facility. The batteries are then delivered ready for assembly to the BMW Group Plant Dingolfing, the sole production site for the BMW 7 Series. Known for its in‑house development of battery systems, e‑axles, electronics and software, Rimac offers highly customisable electrification solutions. This long‑term partnership with BMW marks Rimac’s evolution from a niche supercar supplier to a Tier 1 provider for high‑volume vehicle projects.

Dr Thomas Engelhardt, Senior VP Development High-Voltage Storage and Charging, BMW Group, said, "We are quickly rolling out the technologies of the Neue Klasse across our entire model portfolio – including, of course, in our all-electric luxury sedan. The teams of both companies have developed a tailor-made solution for the new BMW i7. The excellent collaboration with Rimac Technology is a good example of European innovative strength."

Mate Rimac, Founder and President, Rimac Group, CEO and CTO Bugatti Rimac, said, “BMW has always been known for pushing engineering to the highest level, which made this collaboration especially exciting for us. Together, we developed a high-voltage battery system that unlocks the full potential of the new cylindrical cells in record time, delivering significant improvements in energy, range and charging performance. We are proud to now see this system being produced at scale at our new Rimac Campus.”

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