In a striking example of “waste to best” engineering, three mechanical engineering students from Bhagwan Mahavir University in Surat — Shivam Maurya, Gurpreet Arora and Ganesh Patil — have developed Garuda, touted as India’s first AI-enabled electric bike prototype built with around 50 per cent scrap parts and custom components, all for approximately ₹1.8 lakh. The project combines artificial intelligence, sustainability and practical design to challenge conventional ideas about two-wheelers and grassroots innovation.

At the heart of Garuda is a Raspberry Pi computer acting as the bike’s “brain,” enabling voice-command controls, automatic speed modulation and AI-assisted safety features that can slow or stop the bike when obstacles are detected — a potential game-changer for reducing accidents on India’s roads. The electric superbike also sports a touchscreen dashboard, GPS navigation, phone connectivity, live camera views and wireless mobile charging, features usually seen in premium EVs.

Despite being a prototype, the bike delivers impressive performance — a claimed range of 220 km in Eco mode and 160 km in Sport mode, with a fast two-hour full charge from its lithium-ion battery. The students view Garuda as a foundational step toward fully autonomous two-wheelers, a largely unexplored frontier in Indian mobility tech.

Garuda’s success has captured attention on social media and among tech enthusiasts, not just for its futuristic looks but for proving that high-impact innovation can emerge from college workshops and low-budget resources, inspiring a new generation of engineers to rethink how smart, sustainable transport solutions are built.