NED University of Engineering and Technology has successfully tested Pakistan’s first artificial intelligence–powered driverless car, marking a major milestone in the country’s technology sector.
The autonomous vehicle was developed under the National Centre for Artificial Intelligence (NCAI) after nearly a year of research and experimentation. Recently, the car completed on-campus road trials without a human driver. As a result, the test attracted strong interest from students and faculty.
The research team built the prototype using an electric vehicle imported from China. They transformed it into a fully autonomous system by integrating robotics, high-definition mapping, LiDAR sensors, radar, and computer vision. Together, these systems allow the car to detect obstacles, interpret its surroundings, and make driving decisions in real time.
To ensure safety, the developers have limited the vehicle’s speed to 15-20 kilometres per hour. Meanwhile, the steering and navigation systems rely on radar data and visual inputs to accurately guide movement.
Importantly, the vehicle handles Pakistan’s challenging urban traffic conditions. Its advanced sensor system identifies potholes, uneven roads, and other common infrastructure issues. Therefore, researchers consider the model well-suited to local environment
The project is now in the practical refinement stage. The team is now improving object detection, lane recognition, speed control, and traffic signal identification. These upgrades aim to prepare the system for broader testing.
