e-con Systems working with agri, e-comm, EV firms to implement autonomous tech: Co-founder Maharajan Veerabahu

Embedded vision products and solutions company e-con Systems is working with companies across several sectors including agriculture, e-commerce and electric vehicles to implement autonomous technology, Co-founder and Vice President Maharajan Veerabahu said.

According to Veerabahu, individuals expect their products to be smarter with the rise in generative technologies like ChatGPT and the industry is headed towards autonomous technology in everyday use devices. e-con Systems provides end-to-end camera solutions like MIPI camera modules, GMSL cameras, USB 3.1 Gen 1 cameras, stereo cameras, and has shipped over 350 product solutions and 20 lakh cameras to the different geographies they cater to.

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The company, founded in 2003, recently raised USD 13 million through private equity amid rising demand in automation. “The funds will be utilised for automation in mobile robots (AMRs), shopping, and establishing a cellular and molecular imaging core,” Veerabahu said. The company, having a workforce of 600 based mainly in India, is planning on opening a new office in Silicon Valley on completing 20 years in the industry. About 50 individuals will get jobs, Veerabahu said. The company caters to customers in the US, Germany, South Korea, Japan and Switzerland who “make products from scratch.”

“Our customers are 99 per cent outside (of India). About 75 per cent of our business is in the US and 20 per cent or 15 per cent in Europe, mainly Germany and Switzerland, and the rest in South Korea and Japan. “Our customers make products, they build a product from scratch. And that’s where our cameras go into,” he said. He said the industry is headed towards autonomous technology in everyday use devices like cars, but “it will take its time” due to the scope of error. “Most of the machines and devices we use are getting automated,” he said. Adding that products need to be smarter now, he said people are attracted towards technologies like ChatGPT because of how easily they are available.

“There is a lot of hype. It is useful, it is going to play a role, there’s no writing that off, but I think people are more attracted to it because it’s easily available,” he said. On data concerns and privacy, he said “normally, whenever we talk about cameras, data and privacy is always a concern But right now, as we talk, information is all around us,” he pointed. He said the company is working on images to be stored in the device after processing information choices to hide data particular to people’s identities. “When we bring hardware where you can mask yourself to privacy at the hardware itself, things will improve. All these requirements (related to data privacy) will drive technologies and we will learn to coexist,” he said.