As an avid biker, I’ve roamed the size and breadth of the nation with my gang — some astride thumping Royal Enfields, others on screaming Kawasakis and wild KTMs. After all, I’ve had my justifiable share of shut shaves. However let’s be sincere, can you actually name your self a biker in case you haven’t had a tryst gone fallacious even as soon as? Not likely.

Whereas I don’t preserve a rely of what number of occasions I’ve flirted with hazard on the highway, there may be one occasion specifically that also sends goosebumps racing down my backbone. 

It was the monsoon of 2023 once I determined to hit the Western Ghats. Like many bike lovers from Bengaluru, I, too, had an itch for a weekend experience alongside the scenic roads, threading by means of small townships, mist-laden hills and luxurious greenery. 

Nevertheless, what started as a easy escape into nature practically spiralled into one thing main. After using for 180 kilometres at a stretch, I fell prey to a biker’s worst nightmare — the white line fever, generally generally known as freeway hypnosis. 

I used to be simply an inch away from smashing right into a fellow rider when my pillion shouted a warning — “Hey, be careful!” — snapping me out of my trance and forcing me to take management of the scenario that might have in any other case proved deadly, to say the least.

Whereas I rely my stars for that day, the reminiscence resurfaced once I lately met Aayush Kumar and Prakhar Agrawal, bike lovers and founders of BYTES, a startup constructing superior driver help programs (ADAS) for two-wheelers. 

A couple of months in the past, BYTES bagged a non-dilutive grant from Nikhil Kamath’s WTFund to work on their AI-driven ADAS for two-wheelers to forestall accidents by predicting and figuring out high-risk situations in actual time.

I knew I needed to converse with them — not as a result of I’m a journalist, however as a result of it stirred one thing inside a biker. Subsequently, I mounted a date with the founders.

A Date With BYTES’ Founders 

What began with a proper ‘good afternoon’ at their workplace in Bengaluru quickly became a downpour of tales and experiences — simply three bikers celebrating their love for bikes and the open highway. 

You’ll be able to’t cease birds of a feather from flocking collectively, and also you definitely can’t cease bikers from bragging concerning the miles they’ve conquered in a single stretch and the locations they’ve left their tyre marks. 

Drawing from my story, Kumar and Agrawal started sharing their experiences with freeway hypnosis, tunnel imaginative and prescient, and psychological and bodily fatigue that bikers endure. 

They spoke of how a ten,000 km highway journey, overlaying the 2 fag ends of India — Kashmir and Kanyakumari — turned the inspiration behind constructing BYTES.

“We, too, had been practically hit by a truck due to freeway hypnosis,” mentioned Kumar. “It’s a typical problem the place riders slip right into a trance on lengthy stretches of highway.” 

However the issue shouldn’t be distinctive to two-wheeler riders, and the actual problem lies within the sheer vulnerability of using on two wheels. 

“Whereas vehicles are getting extra superior every year with cutting-edge security options, related tech upgrades for scooters and bikes stay largely absent,” Agrawal mentioned.

The founders declare that they’ve designed an AI-powered ADAS system that may assist riders avert potential risks on roads. Within the nascent market of ADAS for two-wheelers, the 2024-founded startup is instantly competing with German engineering main Bosch, which additionally provides superior rider help programs.

From Driverless Vehicles To Two-Wheeler ADAS

The concept of constructing an ADAS had been brewing for a very long time — again once they had been nonetheless working at Minus Zero, a startup focussed on autonomous autos. 

“Coming from a technical background and being a biker, I needed to resolve the ache factors of the rider group,” Agrawal mentioned. Subsequently, he joined forces with Kumar, a go-to-market (GTM) strategist.

“We spent 28 days on the highway. We entered particular roads, rural and concrete situations, and interacted with folks from completely different cities. We zeroed in on 10 causes that result in accidents.” 

A number of the most distinguished ones embody blind spots, ahead collisions, and rear collisions. Apart from, freeway using introduced further challenges, reminiscent of muscle fatigue, drowsiness, and freeway hypnosis. 

In August final yr, the founders resigned from Minus Zero to include BYTES, an acronym of Past Your Technological Explorations.

“The business hasn’t focussed a lot on analysis on this space, preferring to focus on autonomous autos or primary dashcams. There’s an enormous hole within the ADAS business, and we needed to construct one thing greater than only a product,” mentioned Agrawal.

Subsequently, they began constructing. Also referred to as threat-aware notion, they’re making ready to file a patent for his or her know-how. 

Founders declare to have spent round INR 10–15 Lakh to develop the know-how and have raised INR 1 Cr in grants to date. Strategic backers embody Nikhil Kamath’s WTFund (which invested INR 20 Lakh), IIMB’s NSRCEL, IIT Mandi Catalyst, IIT Mandi iHub, HCi Basis, and Startup Karnataka.

So, what precisely does BYTES’ threat-aware notion tech deliver to the desk, and might it really bridge the protection hole for India’s on a regular basis two-wheeler riders — not simply premium bikers?

Inside BYTES’ Tech & Enterprise

Earlier than diving into the tech, Agrawal highlighted that analysis exhibits people usually take 200–300 milliseconds to react to potential hazard. Response occasions can stretch additional underneath stress or in difficult environments, reminiscent of excessive altitudes with decrease oxygen ranges. The longer a rider takes to reply, the larger the danger of an accident. 

The founders say their know-how reduces response time by offering well timed alerts to riders.

The AI mannequin constructed by BYTES processes inputs in as little as 33 milliseconds — from scanning the surroundings to sending out an alert or taking management of the car. This successfully offers the rider sufficient time to reply to hazard.

But, I nonetheless couldn’t fairly work out the voodoo behind the way it all works. The 2 had been sharp – not simply because they had been founders, however as a result of they may learn my expressions, understanding I used to be craving readability.

So, that is how they put it:

• The tech stack options two wide-angle cameras — one mounted on the entrance and one other in the back of the car. These cameras feed right into a small inference gadget powered by the car’s battery.
• The {hardware} integrates with BYTES’ in-house AI software program, skilled on hundreds of kilometres of using information collected throughout various Indian terrains. 
• Its AI stack constantly maps the relative trajectories of objects across the rider. For example, if a truck is forward, the system analyses not solely its pace but additionally how it’s transferring in relation to the rider.
• The AI performs real-time risk evaluation — like a human mind, however sooner — giving riders extra time to react and take precautions.
• To ship well timed alerts, BYTES makes use of three suggestions channels — LEDs embedded within the side-view mirrors, notifications on the infotainment display screen, and haptic suggestions on the throttle physique.

The founders declare their know-how achieves a 98% accuracy fee in responding inside 33 milliseconds at speeds of 120–130 km/h. Nevertheless, drawing energy from the battery impacts vary and mileage of a car, “however the affect is minimal”. 

It additionally options an L2 ADAS system, enabling partial automation and supporting assisted braking. 

“Taking full management of two-wheelers is dangerous, so our tech is restricted to issuing alerts whereas the rider makes the ultimate transfer,” mentioned CTO Agrawal.

The founders had been utilizing some open-source datasets initially, however are actually constructing particularly for Indian using situations. That is difficult as a result of Indian roads are extremely unpredictable.

“To resolve this, we’ve got built-in our tech with a number of autos of last-mile supply executives. As they experience by means of each nook of the nation, our AI is getting skilled in actual time,” the founder mentioned.

Apart from, BYTES is presently operating pilots with six OEMs, together with a number of the prime legacy gamers within the ICE and EV segments, who’re testing its ADAS tech stack on their two-wheelers.

Presently, the founders mentioned, they’re juggling a number of enterprise mannequin concepts, however the path to GTM is generally clear.

“We’re inserting our product into three classes — the brand new autos, present autos and fleet autos,” the CTO mentioned.

For fleet autos, the startup plans to supply annual subscriptions, making its ADAS extra reasonably priced for fleet companions and gig riders. The purpose is to deliver prices right down to an efficient per-day fee — round INR 10–15 per day for a fleet rider.

At the least 15 different OEMs have expressed curiosity in piloting BYTES’ ADAS. As soon as the preliminary merchandise acquire traction out there, BYTES plans to promote on to shoppers by way of its web site throughout the subsequent 12 months. 

These D2C merchandise are anticipated to be priced between INR 7,000 and 15,000 every.

“We’re ensuring all the classes of riders get this answer, as our imaginative and prescient is to democratise ADAS and security programs throughout segments,” Kumar mentioned.

The startup expects to clock regular income over the subsequent 9 to 12 months and is within the strategy of elevating its first fairness spherical of $1–2 Mn to broaden its staff for deeper R&D and scaling the enterprise.

What’s Lies Forward?

Despite the fact that OEMs are exhibiting rising curiosity in integrating these programs, the reality is that the ADAS marketplace for two-wheelers remains to be in its nascent phases within the nation. 

However competitors is prone to rise on this realm, particularly as EV gamers are more and more focussed on vertical integration. Electrical bike maker Ultraviolette, for example, has its personal laser-based ARAS system for two-wheelers.

Regardless of this rising risk and corporations like Bosch on the prowl, founders are optimistic about their tech, designed for India-specific wants with India-only information. 

“We’re testing completely different India-specific situations, reminiscent of potholes, pace bumps, and animals crossing the highway,” mentioned the CEO. He added that within the subsequent three to 4 months, the corporate can have collected 16–20 Lakh kilometres of information, making its AI mannequin even smarter.

So, would I undertake it? Why not — in any case, I stand witness to a biker’s millisecond paradox that might both be my guardian or my undoing within the blink of an eye fixed. Whereas the know-how gained’t make me invincible, it could act as an additional pair of eyes watching the highway.