“LVM: Providing insights beyond what the human eyes can capture”

• “CamCom became the first company to help a country achieve an SDG milestone by using AI.”

• “What Mauritius does today, Africa does tomorrow.”

Ajith Nayar, Co-founder and CEO of CamCom Technologies, has been at the forefront of leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) to revolutionize the way industries approach visual inspections. In this exclusive interview, he shares insights into how CamCom’s journey began, focusing on their cutting-edge technology called Large Vision Models (LVM). With its AI-powered platform, CamCom ensures unparalleled precision and efficiency in quality control, eliminating human subjectivity from critical processes. This has empowered industries like automotive, insurance, and public safety to achieve greater accuracy and sustainability in their operations. Ajith Nayar also discusses the company’s global expansion plans, the role of CamCom in achieving UN Sustainable Development Goals, and its contribution to enhancing public safety and resource efficiency.

CamCom Technologies has been making significant strides in the AI space, particularly with its visual inspection platform. Could you provide an overview of CamCom’s journey and its core areas of expertise?

CamCom’s journey began with a very specific focus within the broader field of artificial intelligence – computer vision. This technology allows visuals (pictures or videos) to provide insights beyond what the human eyes can capture. It’s called Large Vision Models (LVM). AI is widely used across various sectors; people, places, and products. Our expertise lies in product inspection, where quality matters the most. 

In terms of product inspections, quality is the single most important tenet for any business, influencing customer satisfaction, top-line growth, and bottom-line. Traditionally, quality inspections have been labour-intensive, subjective, and prone to human error. We realized that by applying computer vision, we could eliminate the subjectivity inherent in human inspections. Our technology allows businesses to ensure that their products – whether they are automobiles, electronics, or consumer goods etc. – meet quality standards with 99.97% accuracy, which is something humans simply cannot achieve consistently.

You mentioned that traditional quality control processes often rely heavily on human inspectors, leading to subjectivity. How does CamCom’s technology change that?

Human subjectivity in quality inspection has always been a challenge. When you have people inspecting products, there’s always room for variability. For instance, the time of day, lighting conditions, or even the inspector’s mood can impact their judgment. Moreover, humans are inherently resistant to repetitive tasks, which is what quality control often demands. What our technology does is bring objectivity and consistency into the process. Using high-resolution cameras, CamCom’s computer vision systems assess defects as small as 50 microns – something that the human eye cannot detect.

One of the best examples is the automotive industry, where our technology inspects automobiles for defects in paint and structure on the assembly line. Instead of relying on human workers to check for scratches, dents or loose parts, our AI does it with unparalleled precision and speed. This results in fewer defective products reaching the market, reducing the need for costly recalls, and ultimately leading to better customer satisfaction and significant process efficiencies.

Although we initially focused on product defect detection and assessment, we realized that our AI could be repurposed to identify these public safety issues

CamCom has been recognized for developing a unique ‘superpower’ during one of its projects. Can you tell us more about that and how it aligns with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)?

That ‘superpower’ actually came as a pleasant surprise during one of our projects in Saudi Arabia. The Ministry of Municipalities, Housing and Rural Affairs (MoMRAH) wanted to involve citizens in urban planning by allowing them to report infrastructure problems like potholes, garbage, and exposed electrical wires, etc. While they received over two million reports, they struggled to process the data efficiently.

That’s when CamCom stepped in. Although we initially focused on product defect/damage detection and assessment, we realized that our AI could be repurposed to identify these public safety issues. For instance, when a missing manhole cover was reported, our system identified it as a missing piece of metal, similar to how it would identify a defect in a product. We refined this capability, and eventually, Saudi Arabia became the first country in the world to achieve compliance with UN Sustainable Development Goal 11, which focuses on sustainable cities and communities, and CamCom became the first company to help a country achieve this milestone using AI.

That remarkable achievement led to further recognition, particularly from Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi…

The success of our project in Saudi Arabia generated a lot of press, and so did the launch of the Large Vision Model (LVM), which caught the attention of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He was particularly interested in understanding how a ‘built in India’ solution like CamCom could have such a global impact. During our meeting, I explained to him how we developed the world’s first LVM specifically for defect and damage assessment. Unlike Large Language Models (LLM), that are generic in nature, our LVM, though designed to work across multiple industries, remains highly specialized in what it does – detecting and assessing product defects (during production) and damages (in the aftermarket).

The Prime Minister of India was quick to recognize the potential of this technology in helping India achieve its quality aspirations, particularly with the ‘Zero Defect, Zero Effect’ (ZED) initiative, which encourages Indian manufacturers to focus on high-quality production with minimal environmental impact. We are now in discussions with several private sector manufacturers and Indian state governments to integrate our technology into the ZED program and the smart city initiatives of the Government of India. These discussions are being enabled through NITI AAYOG, India’s premier planning think tank.

CamCom has experienced significant growth in a relatively short period. Can you share your plans for expansion, both in terms of geography and industries?  

We are very excited about our expansion plans. Our headquarters are in Bangalore, India, and we have an office in Dubai. We are also establishing a presence in Mexico and Singapore to expand into new markets in Latin America and Southeast Asia. We already have two offices in Germany – one in Düsseldorf and another in Munich – primarily to cater to the European automotive and insurance markets.

As for industries, while our core focus has been on manufacturing and insurance, we are actively exploring new sectors. The airline industry is a major target for us this year. Aircraft maintenance involves highly labour-intensive inspections, and we believe our AI can streamline the process. For example, as an aircraft is being towed into a hangar, our system can perform a 360-degree visual inspection to identify any damage, speeding up maintenance and reducing downtime.

The airline industry is another sector that has been highly labour-dependent and human-intensive, especially when it comes to pre-flight inspections, which have traditionally lacked any visual or automated audits. For instance, before an aircraft takes off, there are typically at least three people walking under the belly of the aircraft, looking up, trying to identify any potential issues. The hope, I presume, is that if one person misses something, the others will catch it. There is a reason why there are three people involved, and of course, the first officer and the pilot, or the co-pilot and the pilot, will sign off on the condition of the aircraft. However, they haven’t actually seen the condition themselves; they are signing off based on the word of the ground engineers.

Now, if the aircraft takes off and, God forbid, something happens mid-air, the two people who signed off on the airworthiness and condition of the aircraft are unfortunately no longer there. The debris of the aircraft could be scattered over such a large area that it becomes next to impossible to piece everything together and conduct a thorough post-mortem. This is what the likes of the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) spend years trying to reconstruct. While such incidents are rare, when they do happen, they are catastrophic. The general understanding is that something must have been wrong with the aircraft before it took off. There’s really no other explanation for an issue occurring in mid-air, unless the problem originated when the aircraft was still on the ground and it simply wasn’t caught.

So, what we are proposing is a visual audit trail for the aircraft before it takes off. All that would be needed are devices that can scan the aircraft, including the underbelly, so that you know exactly what the condition of the aircraft is. If, for example, there are rivets missing or a damaged aileron or dents on the fuselage, it would be flagged. This way, you have a visual audit trail of the aircraft’s condition before it leaves the ground.

Quality inspection is one of those areas where machines excel, and by allowing them to handle repetitive and objective tasks, we free humans to do more important, complex work.

What is your perspective on AI and its potential for disruption?

I want to emphasize that we are not proposing to replace humans; rather, we are assisting and augmenting their capabilities. Artificial intelligence should not be seen as a replacement for humans. 

As I mentioned in an earlier interview, Karl Benz invented the automobile, but it took another 20 to 25 years for Henry Ford, inspired by the New York meat-packing district, to come up with the assembly line system. That assembly line system was created to improve efficiency.

In World War I, we had countless mules, horses, and donkeys. By World War II, those animals were no longer used. This doesn’t mean that every horse-cart driver or mule-driver became an automobile driver. Rather, humans adapted, allowing machines to do tasks that improved upon what was done before. The human mind is capable of far more than just repeatable tasks – tasks we can and should delegate to machines. Quality inspection is one of those areas where machines excel, and by allowing them to handle repetitive and objective tasks, we free humans to do more important, complex work.

This is why we believe that the space we’re operating in isn’t one that will remove jobs. Rather, it will 100% assist and augment human capabilities, allowing them to do a much better job in areas where their focus is truly needed.

Africa seems to be an important market for CamCom. How is Mauritius significant for your business, and how do you see your solutions impacting the region?

Mauritius holds a special place for us, not just because of its strategic importance as a gateway to Africa, but also because of its deep-rooted connections with India. Mauritius is often considered a trendsetter for Africa, with many African countries looking to Mauritius as a model for development. There’s a saying: “What Mauritius does today, Africa does tomorrow.” 

If I’m not mistaken, Mauritius is either already a member, or in the process of becoming a member of the OECD. An enlightened leadership with the active support and participation of the citizenry are the fundamentals of a thriving society. Mauritius has been blessed with both, and I am sure Mauritius will continue to be the torch bearer in setting new standards for the region.

I’ve done some research on the subject, and one country that is rapidly evolving is Rwanda, particularly Kigali, which is growing at an impressive pace. I personally believe that the work we do in Mauritius will resonate more in Kigali than the work we’ve done in India. It’s geographically closer, and there’s a comfort in knowing that something tried by a neighbouring country has worked. 

We have already begun discussions with major insurance companies in Mauritius to implement our visual inspection solutions.

Moreover, public safety is a major area where we can make a real difference. Simple issues like potholes or garbage accumulation may seem trivial, but they can lead to accidents or public health crises. Our technology allows for quick identification and resolution of such issues, improving the quality of life for citizens. We are very keen that Mauritius becomes the first country in Africa to become UN SDG 11 compliant using our platform. Our proposal is currently under consideration of the Government.

Public safety is a critical issue in many developing regions. How does CamCom’s platform address these concerns, and what impact has it had so far?

Public safety is something we take very seriously, and it’s a major area where our platform can make a tangible difference. For example, in Saudi Arabia, the identification of missing manhole covers, potholes or exposed wires through our platform directly contributed to reducing fatalities caused by such hazards. More people die from preventable infrastructure issues than from direct conflicts. Our technology ensures that issues like these are reported and resolved faster, thereby saving lives and improving the overall quality of life for citizens.

In many countries, governments are slow to act on infrastructure issues due to inefficiencies in reporting systems. By involving citizens and using AI to analyse and categorize incidents, we create a much more efficient mechanism for resolving public safety concerns.

In addition to public safety, CamCom plays a role in improving resource efficiency and reducing waste. How does your platform contribute to these broader goals, especially in alignment with the SDGs?

One of the biggest advantages of our technology is its ability to catch defects early in the production process, thereby reducing waste. When defective products reach the market, it often results in costly recalls, and significant amounts of materials and resources are wasted in the process. Our system prevents this by ensuring only defect-free products go to market, which directly contributes to more efficient resource use.

In industries like insurance, our visual inspections for damages also help speed up claims processes, which reduces the time and resources typically spent on resolving such issues. By integrating AI into these processes, we help companies and governments meet their sustainability and resource efficiency goals, ultimately contributing to a greener, more sustainable future.