Continental, a global technology company, has partnered with the Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) to scale up OnBoard, an innovative solution designed to enhance mobility for visually impaired passengers. This initiative, launched in 2023 under Continental’s CSR programme Conscience, was developed in collaboration with IIT Delhi and the Raised Lines Foundation (RLF). The technology assists visually impaired individuals in safely boarding buses by providing real-time audio cues.

Following a successful pilot on 25 BMTC buses, the project has now expanded to an additional 100 buses, with plans to equip 500 buses across Bengaluru. The announcement was made during a press conference at the BMTC Central Office, attended by Karnataka’s Transport Minister, Ramalinga Reddy.

OnBoard was initially developed at IIT Delhi with support from the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) and the Department of Science and Technology (DST). The technology was later transferred to RLF, an IIT Delhi-incubated nonprofit. The system uses bus-mounted speakers to announce route numbers and guide passengers to entry doors, ensuring a seamless boarding experience.

So far, installations have been completed on the 401K and 401R routes, with the next phase set to begin in mid-July. Production of additional units is underway, with full implementation expected by August 2024. Extensive field testing conducted by RLF and Enable India in Bengaluru confirmed the device’s effectiveness under various weather conditions, including rain, heat and dust while maintaining stable connectivity.

The launch event featured a live demonstration and media interactions, emphasising the importance of public-private partnerships in advancing inclusive mobility solutions. Continental and BMTC’s collaboration highlights a shared commitment to making public transportation accessible for all.

Prashanth Doreswamy, President and CEO, Continental, said, “At Continental, we believe that mobility must be inclusive and accessible, it should lie at the very core of innovation. Therefore, through our CSR initiative, we aim to empower every individual with the freedom of movement. Technology has opened up a world of possibilities, and this is just a steppingstone. As a technology company, we see it as our responsibility to help shape the future of mobility, which is not just connected, autonomous, shared and electric but also inclusive. We are proud to work with BMTC in supporting the vision of a more connected and accessible Bengaluru.”

Ramachandran R, Managing Director, Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC), said, “This project is a flagship initiative for inclusive urban mobility in Bengaluru. BMTC recognises that OnBoard is a crucial step towards making the city’s public transport system more accessible and inclusive, bringing it on par with other leading global cities. At BMTC, we are fully committed to this initiative and are aligning all internal efforts to ensure its smooth and timely deployment across our fleet.”

Prof M Balakrishnan, Honorary Professor, IIT Delhi and Chairman, Raised Lines Foundation, said, “Industry-academia collaboration has always been crucial while addressing any real-world challenges, and the OnBoard solution is a testament to that. Its deployment across the BMTC network will allow visually impaired individuals to navigate public transport. At IIT Delhi, we are excited and very proud to see a technology we have contributed to making such a meaningful difference in people’s lives, bringing the benefits of inclusive design to the heart of urban mobility. At Raised Lines Foundation, our mission has been empowerment of persons with visual impairment by providing access to inclusive solutions with focus on mobility, education and independent living.”

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Greaves Cotton has appointed Santosh Singh as Chief Strategy and AI Officer. He will be based in Mumbai and will lead strategy, transformation, AI-led enterprise capability building and business excellence for the Greaves Cotton Group.

Singh comes with over two decades of experience in strategy, business excellence, innovation, and AI-led enterprise transformation. He joins Greaves Cotton from Tata Technologies (TTL), where he served as Global Head – Marketing and Business Excellence. During his tenure there, he co-led the enterprise GenAI roadmap and developed use cases focused on customer engagement and productivity.

His primary mandate is to drive the Greaves.NEXT strategy, the company’s roadmap for growth across the energy, mobility and industrial solutions sectors.

In his new role, Singh will focus on accelerating growth for Greaves Technologies (GTL), developing an enterprise-wide AI roadmap, and establishing partnerships with hyperscalers and AI labs.

Parag Satpute, Managing Director & Group CEO, Greaves Cotton, said, “We are pleased to welcome Santosh to the leadership team. His extensive expertise in strategy, digital transformation, and AI will play a significant role in shaping Greaves’ next phase of growth. His global experience will further strengthen our innovation roadmap and support our long-term business priorities.”

Singh will also work across business units to incubate and scale growth vectors and lead business excellence initiatives.

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Luminar Technologies, Inc., a global technology company advancing safety, security and autonomy across various sectors, has announced it has agreed to sell its wholly owned subsidiary, Luminar Semiconductor, Inc. (LSI), to Quantum Computing Inc. (QCi) for USD 110 million in an all-cash transaction.

QCi is an integrated photonics and quantum optics technology company focused on photonics-driven technologies and sensing applications. LSI's innovation platform and engineering depth align with QCi’s strategic priorities in optical systems, chip-scale innovation and photonic architectures. The acquisition is expected to position LSI to grow and capitalise on the demand for photonics solutions.

Paul Ricci, CEO, Luminar, said, "We are pleased to partner with QCi as they continue to accelerate their photonics roadmap. QCi’s focus on photonics-driven technologies provides an aligned platform for LSI to expand its customer base, accelerate growth opportunities, and invest in markets where long-term demand for high-reliability optical systems is increasing. We are incredibly proud of the LSI team for the progress they have made to reach this milestone, and we are excited for the opportunities ahead for LSI under QCi’s ownership.”

Yuping Huang, CEO, Quantum Computing Inc, said, "I’m excited about the opportunity to partner with the exceptional team and valued customers of LSI. There is clear strategic alignment and shared vision between our organizations, creating strong momentum from day one. Following the closing, we will move quickly to invest in and scale LSI’s existing business, while bringing our teams together to accelerate our quantum photonics roadmap. This is a powerful combination, and I’m energized by what we will achieve together.”

In a separate announcement, Luminar announced that it has initiated voluntary chapter 11 cases in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas. LSI is not a debtor in the chapter 11 cases and is operating in the ordinary course. Because LSI is a subsidiary of Luminar, the transaction will require the approval of the bankruptcy court via a Section 363 sale process, which the parties expect to receive by the end of January 2026, subject to closing conditions.

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Chinese technology company Neusoft Corporation and Mappls MapmyIndia have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to leverage their strengths in software and data resources to collaborate deeply.

The companies will engage in joint technological development, ecosystem collaboration and resource integration to provide navigation products and intelligent mobility solutions tailored to localised needs in emerging markets such as Southeast Asia and India.

The partnership is a response to the fact that while global auto brands are expanding into Southeast Asia and India, they face challenges in these regions due to complex road conditions, unique traffic rules, extensive addressing systems and high localisation adaptation costs. These issues limit the ability of automakers to deliver a complete intelligent user experience.

Under the collaboration, Neusoft will adopt its OneCoreGo Global Intelligent Mobility Solution 6.0 Plus as the core technology carrier, deeply integrating MapmyIndia's map data, real-time traffic information and multi-dimensional value-added services. MapmyIndia is noted as the largest local mapping company in India, holding more than 90 percent market share in in-vehicle navigation.

The integration is intended to strengthen a full capability loop of ‘navigation + payment + interaction + connectivity + operations’.

Through API integration and technological convergence, the two parties will jointly develop navigation products and mobility solutions highly adapted to Southeast Asia, India and similar regional markets. These solutions will deliver precise route planning and real-time traffic guidance, address local user needs and continuously enhance product experience and scenario-based services. This will help automotive partners rapidly launch intelligent vehicle models with competitiveness in local markets.

The partnership enables Neusoft to combine the global end-to-end strengths of its solution with localised ecosystem resources, paving the ‘last mile’ for automakers entering the Southeast Asian and Indian markets and delivering comprehensive intelligent mobility experiences.

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Bengaluru-based electric vehicle maker Ultraviolette Automotive has secured USD 45 million from Zoho Corporation and Lingotto, one of Europe's investment management companies as part of its ongoing Series E investment round.

The investment from Zoho Corporation was led by Sridhar Vembu, Mani Vembu and Kumar Vembu.

This growth capital will accelerate the domestic and international scale-up of current products F77 and X-47, as well as future product platforms Shockwave and Tesseract.

Ultraviolette has built a design and technology-led enterprise with the F77 and the recently launched X-47.

The company has expanded to 30 cities across India in a short span of 12 months and is expanding to 100 cities by mid-2026. The F77 motorcycles were recently launched in the United Kingdom, bringing Ultraviolette's presence to 12 countries across Europe.

Narayan Subramaniam, Co-Founder & CEO, Ultraviolette Automotive, said, “We are glad to announce our Series E investment from Zoho and Lingotto. Lingotto's legacy of backing iconic performance and mobility brands, combined with Zoho's long-term commitment to fostering cutting-edge Indian innovation, aligns perfectly with Ultraviolette's mission to build category-defining electric mobility solutions for India and global markets.”

Niraj Rajmohan, CTO & Co-Founder, Ultraviolette, said, "With the ongoing Series E investments, we are doubling down on growth and expanding our production to meet increasing demand. Our focus is on advancing breakthrough battery technology, elevating performance capabilities and expanding production to support upcoming product platforms. This investment will accelerate our journey towards scaling into India and global markets."

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