Helm.ai, a startup backed by Honda, has unveiled a new camera-based system named Helm.ai Vision, designed to interpret complex urban environments for self-driving cars.

Helm.ai's collaboration with Honda will see its system featured in the 2026 Honda Zero series of electric vehicles, promising a hands-free driving experience where users can safely divert their attention away from the road.

The company said, it is also negotiating with various automakers for the integration its technology into mass-market vehicles.

Helm.ai CEO and founder Vladislav Voroninski was quoted by Reuters as saying: "We're definitely in talks with many OEMs and we're on track for deploying our technology in production.

"Our business model is essentially licensing this kind of software and also Foundation model software to the automakers."

The California-based company's vision-first strategy is akin to that of Tesla, which also prioritises cameras over other sensors like Lidar and radar to mitigate additional costs.

Despite this, industry specialists argue that supplementary sensors are essential for safety, providing redundancy for cameras that may falter in low-visibility conditions.

Companies operating robotaxis, such as Waymo and May Mobility, employ a mix of radar, lidar, and cameras to navigate their environment. Helm.ai, which has raised $102m in funding, counts Goodyear Ventures, Sungwoo HiTech, and Amplo among its investors.

 Helm.ai Vision synthesises imagery from multiple cameras to generate a comprehensive bird's-eye view map, enhancing the vehicle's decision-making and control mechanisms.

The system is tailored for compatibility with various hardware platforms from companies such as Nvidia and Qualcomm.

This adaptability allows car manufacturers to seamlessly integrate Helm.ai Vision into their vehicles' existing systems, which are already equipped with proprietary technologies for predicting and planning vehicle movements.