How DJI's Drone Tech Spawned Zhuoyu, China's Low-Cost Autonomous Driving Startup
Zhuoyu Autonomous Driving originated in 2016 as an internal DJI research project led by engineer Shen Shaojie, who had pioneered stereo-camera systems for drones at HKUST. The team recognized that machine vision for drones and environmental perception for vehicles shared the same underlying logic, prompting a pivot toward automotive applications. By 2018, the project had secured one of Shenzhen's first autonomous driving test permits and was conducting open-road trials using perception technology adapted from drone systems. Formally established as DJI's Automotive division in 2021, the company pursued a contrarian approach — relying on a seven-camera vision setup, no lidar, no HD maps, and as little as 32 TOPS of compute — to bring city-level driving assistance to EVs priced under RMB 100,000. Its Chengxing Platform debuted in the 2022 Baojun KiWi EV, drawing industry attention for delivering advanced driver assistance at an unprecedented price point.
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