As one of Hexagon’s three global R&D powerhouses, the Hyderabad centre is playing a pivotal role in shaping the company’s vision for AI-led industrial intelligence and digital reality solutions. In an exclusive interaction with Express Computer, Navaneet Mishra, Head and SVP, Hexagon R&D India, shares insights on how the centre is integrating agentic AI, building digital twins for real-world impact, and driving autonomy across mining, manufacturing, and smart city initiatives.
Hyderabad is one of Hexagon’s three main global R&D centres, and reportedly its largest in terms of headcount. How is this centre integrating agentic AI and digital reality into Hexagon’s global innovation roadmap, and what tangible impacts have these investments delivered so far?
At Hexagon, we deploy AI when it solves a real problem and either saves or makes money, and not for creating fancy drawings. For instance, if an inventory has a part listed as WN 0.25 inches SW TAP” and another as “Weld Neck Orifice Flange 6.25 mm Socket Weld Tap” AI can identify them as the same part, simplifying procurement and improving inventory accuracy.
In a large industrial plant with hundreds of devices linked to thousands of documents, AI helps identify which documents (warranty, instruction, repair, procurement) belong to a single part. We use AI on a case-by-case basis.
The context of data is crucial. In a bank locker room, any movement is a problem. At an airport, if a suitcase isn’t moving, that’s a problem. The object is the same, but the context is different, and AI helps us understand that. For high-speed production, instead of touch probes, AI can analyse a single picture of a surface to verify its dimensions and quality, leveraging the power of mobile technology. We implement AI where it truly solves a specific problem
Internally, for our R&D teams, we encourage and push for AI adoption through initiatives like hackathons, rewarding AI usage. We also encourage our finance and HR teams to explore AI for tasks like invoice accuracy, timely repayments, or conducting online interviews with presence detection. This is a “push” for internal process improvement. However, when developing solutions for external sales, our focus remains strictly on solving genuine business problems, not just integrating AI for its own sake.
Hexagon’s solutions often integrate hardware and software. Could you elaborate on this synergy and how it underpins your approach, particularly in areas like digital twins?
Hexagon’s solutions typically have hardware at their core, which is then complemented by software to interpret the captured data. For example, we create the world’s most sophisticated laser or LiDAR sensing and mapping machines, highly advanced manufacturing measurement machines, and the most accurate positioning systems globally. We also develop highly automated mining solutions that operate both above and below ground.
Our approach to achieving this revolves around living by the principle of sustainability. Consider designing a tire. You receive specs like stopping distances on mild wet, fully wet, dry, and sandy surfaces. Traditionally, you’d design, test 100 physical tires, and iterate until you meet the specs. This is resource-intensive and time-consuming.
With our technology, you can create a digital replica (digital twin) of that tire/ road ecosystem that behaves exactly like the real world, incorporating the properties of the rubber and the road. All simulations happen digitally, following the laws of physics. This allows for much faster iterations without wasting physical resources.
This concept extends to incredibly complex and costly endeavours, like sending a Mars rover. You can’t send a mechanic to Mars! So, we simulate the entire Mars environment using our software, matching hardware capabilities and simulating factors like parachute release angles, wind, gravity, temperature, and landing dynamics
If a problem occurs, we can quickly simulate feedback to the thrusters. This ability to simulate extensively beforehand is crucial to success and preventing failures. As we notice with critical space missions, where a few seconds delay in the loop cycle proved too late to correct.
You mentioned smart cities in India and how many define them based on their existing solutions. How does Hexagon view a truly “smart” city, and what role do digital twins play in that vision?
In India, the concept of smart cities has often been narrowly defined by available solutions, like smart parking or garbage management. However, for a city to be truly smart, it must first be able to take care of itself, particularly regarding fundamental infrastructure and utilities like gas, water, electricity, and sewage.
A smart city, in our view, is one that can quickly recover when things go wrong, whether due to heavy rains or other incidents. It’s about being able to say, “If I have to discontinue a utility due to heavy rains, who all will be affected, for how long, and how quickly can I restore it?”
Imagine knowing, before digging up a road, exactly what lies beneath-pipes, fibre, etc., allowing you to adjust your digging location by a few feet to avoid damage. Our geo-radars can map the entire underground infrastructure. When you have a digital twin of the city’s infrastructure, the city gains this capability.
Just as a person is considered smart if they can fix problems, a city is smart when it can manage disruptions and recover swiftly. The difference between a few hours of disruption versus a few days defines a city’s smartness. With everything mapped out in a digital twin and flow of communication established between different departments; a city head can make informed decisions, switch layers on and off to analyse scenarios, and even automate communications, like notifying residents in a specific geography about a planned three-hour power outage. Involving multiple departments like Electricity, Water, Gas and Telecom with Emergency response team will provide a cohesive and coordinated response to any disruption.
The entire Netherlands, for instance, is mapped using Hexagon technology by our partner Cyclomedia, and it’s revised every six months. This not only eases deliveries for supply chain / ecommerce companies but also improves urban planning for everyone. The precision derived from such accurate measurements are transformative.
Given the evident benefits, what’s preventing Indian cities and the country at large from adopting these technologies more widely, especially since you state they can be implemented with existing technology?
We’ve seen positive adoption in rural India through initiatives like “Svamitva,” which provides clear ownership of land by digitalizing property boundaries. This enables previously unmonetized land to be used for valuation and mortgages.
In cities, however, broader adoption faces challenges. For instance, without a digital twin, large-scale projects like the Musi River rejuvenation in Telangana (a $6 billion project) are incredibly difficult. You wouldn’t know the exact dredge requirements, topography, flow, or future implications. Such projects run a risk if precise mapping is not available.
Digitalisation also brings significant transparency. Are we ready for that level of accuracy and transparency and the investments required for 24/7 scanning?
While a city can be zoomed in to map public buildings like movie theatres and stadiums, enabling immediate guidance in emergencies, the effort needs to begin at a broader scale. While “smart city” initiatives were initially slow, there’s a growing awakening, surprisingly moving from rural success to urban aspirations. The journey will involve an initial investment model where a central entity owns the digital twin, and others consume its data for a fee. This is crucial because, without mapping, comprehensive urban development is almost impossible.
Are you partnering with any local authorities or enterprises for smart city planning in India?
As our own endeavour, we mapped the historical Qutb Shahi Tombs in Hyderabad and handed the digital twin over to the government. This demonstrated how a digital twin can aid in better maintenance of historical monuments, much like how the digital twin of Notre Dame enabled its accurate restoration, after the fire.
We participated in a government initiative called Sangam, a digital twin program where partners were invited. We’ve actively engaged with the Department of Telecom, which floated the Sangam digital twin initiative, and have been moderators for many of their multi-city events in Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad and other locations. We’ve provided input on the necessary framework and requirements.
While there’s a cost involved, typically using aeroplanes with expensive equipment for initial city-wide mapping, followed by street mappers for underground details, the end data enables precise decision-making. For example, while planning for a metro, you can instantly analyse how moving a station impacts population catchment and what utilities might be harmed by digging, allowing for informed choices. We have these technologies readily available.
For defence, we also have significant capabilities, though we cannot disclose specifics. Our core technology includes antennas, receivers, anti-jamming tech, and algorithms that enable centimetre level accuracy anywhere on the planet
What’s currently needed in India is deeper public-private collaboration to create complete solutions by building value chains on top of our core technologies. Developing solutions in India is advantageous because our complexity and diversity create robust, long-lasting solutions globally.
Can you discuss the status of Hexagon’s autonomous mining and industrial solutions, particularly in India?
For mining, one of the most critical elements, surprisingly, is their vehicles. Mines typically operate on one-way roads due to cost and to avoid wastage. These are extremely heavy, costly machines, and if even one hauler breaks down, it creates a massive operational hit, stopping the entire production chain.
Our solutions begin by monitoring these trucks. These aren’t ordinary vehicles; they are enormous, with 20-30 parameters per vehicle (tire pressure, temperature, engine diagnostics, driver alertness, even pupil tracking). All this data is fed into a central system. We use IoT devices for data collection, and we integrate AI at the edge to prevent constant, redundant data transmission, ensuring data is sent only when there’s a significant change. This optimises storage and processing costs.
AI also enables self-calibration and ensures operational precision. For example, in a single mine, you might have different purities of ore (90%, 80%, 60%). If a 60% purity ore is mixed with 90%, the entire batch becomes unsellable. Our systems ensure precise dumping, preventing such costly errors. We also make automatic reassignments and define the shortest routes for continuous vehicle movement and drastically reduce vehicle queues at shovels.
Ultimately, these operations require autonomy. While humans are still present, machines must make many decisions because humans cannot process the data at this scale. A fascinating cost-saving example from Australia involves autonomous haul trucks. On long, straight desert roads, drivers can experience “hallucinations” due to monotony. Instead of 25 drivers for 25 trucks, we can use one human driver in the first truck, with the remaining 24 trucks autonomously following, maintaining distance using our positioning and drive-by-wire technology. This drastically reduces operational costs by replacing 24 drivers with an autonomous system.
Autonomy extends beyond cost savings. It can also aid humanitarian efforts. For instance, with a 3D map of a glacier valley, if an IoT device detects movement, our system can immediately predict where flooding will occur first, enabling sequential evacuation of villages, saving lives.
Given the investment required for such innovations, do you think India is ready to invest in these sophisticated technologies, especially compared to countries like the UK or Greece, which already implement road safety measures using technology?
Every country faces investment challenges. The key is demonstrating ROI. For example, the UK brought together several authorities and agencies such as Rail, Road, Energy, Water, Flood prevention, etc. to jointly fund a digital twin initiative. By doing so, they saved billions of dollars within four years.
The model that works is having a central authority responsible for the digital twin, setting standards, and allowing other entities to pay and consume the data. If individual utilities or solutions try to build their own, it might become unsustainable.
You’re right that traditional surveys take a lot of time. Our technology can accelerate surveys, making them much faster and significantly more accurate, eliminating human error. We’re already seeing advanced use cases in states like Kerala, where properties are being precisely mapped. This accuracy also reduces debate and disputes later on.
What is Hexagon’s approach and position in retaining and nurturing the talent available in this competitive market?
Talent retention is vital for a product company like Hexagon, where deep domain knowledge is as important as technical skills. You can’t expect a technologist to grasp complex industries like mining overnight—it requires time and continuity.
We focus on creating a strong sense of purpose by showing how employees’ work impacts real-world outcomes, like protecting dams or enabling satellite positioning. These connections to meaningful problems keeps teams motivated.
Traditional engagement methods didn’t work for us, for example our internal newsletter readership was under 25%. So, we shifted to employee-driven initiatives like clubs and events that reflect what today’s workforce values.
We also support continuous tech growth through Hackathons, Technology Days, and backing innovative ideas. Finally, transparent communication is key. In my All-Hands meetings, I spend an hour answering 50+ questions on an ongoing basis, building trust through transparency.
By aligning purpose, learning, engagement, and transparency, we’ve created a culture where people choose to stay and grow.