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Thiru Vikram

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In this Tamil name, there is no surname or family name. The name Suresh is a patronym, and the person should be referred to by the given name, Vikram.
Thiru
Vikram
Naidu
Official portrait, 2018
CEO of Buffalo Automation
Personal details
Born
S. Thiru Vikram

(1995-07-25) 25 July 1995 (age 29)
Udumalaipettai
RelativesD. Selvaraj (Grandfather)
ResidenceAmherst, New York
Education
Occupation
AwardsDistinguished Alumnus (University at Buffalo)
Military service
Allegiance United States
Branch/service
Years of service
  • 2016–2024
Rank Specialist
Unit

Thiru Vikram (Thiru Vikram Suresh; born July 25, 1995) is an inventor, engineer and entrepreneur, who is the CEO of Buffalo Automation, a private company headquartered in Buffalo, New York, that provides autonomous navigation technology for commercial ships and recreational boats.[1][2][3][4]

Early life and career

[edit]

Vikram attended the Lawrence School, Lovedale, in Ootacamund, Tamil Nadu, India.[5] Vikram was a Head Boy and a member of the Robotics Club at Lovedale.[6]

He studied computer science and electrical engineering at the University at Buffalo School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, where he founded Buffalo Automation with fellow students.[7][8] The company was founded to design and build an artificial intelligence system called AutoMate that enables ships and boats to self-navigate.[9][10] In 2016, Vikram left the University at Buffalo to focus on the company full-time.[11][12][13] However, in 2021, Vikram was recognized as a distinguished alumnus by the University at Buffalo despite having dropped out.[14][15]

Although naturalized in 2016 as an American, Vikram is originally a Dravidian from Tamil Nadu and is a Hindu descended from the Kamma section of the erstwhile Poligars of South India, belonging to the few remaining households that still speak Old Telugu due to their split from the Andhras many centuries ago, when they left Kammanadu to lead the Nayaka armies of the Vijayanagara Empire and, subsequently, settle in their present family seats in modern-day Tiruppur district.[16][17][5][18][19]

Vikram served in the US Army Reserve as a combat engineer under the Military Accessions Vital to National Interest program.[20]

Awards and recognitions

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Vikram was awarded first place in the 2018 Entrepreneurs' Organization Global Student Entrepreneurship Awards Western NY Competition.[21] In 2022, Vikram was featured as one of the United States’ 18 Top CEOs in the Assistive Technology Startup Space and among the Top 44 in Navigation by Boardroom Media.[22][23]

Inventions

[edit]

Vikram is listed as an inventor in a few patents, including:

  1. A sensor system for maritime vessels.[24]
  2. A deep learning intelligent sensing system integration.[25]
  3. Training a deep learning system for maritime applications.[26]
  4. A deep learning intelligent sensing system for port operations.[27]
  5. A lane and object detection systems and methods.[28]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Bratek, Kim (November 16, 2018). "43North — Founder Friday: Thiru Vikram, Buffalo Automation". 43North. Retrieved October 2, 2019.
  2. ^ Caya, Chris (October 16, 2017). "Are self-navigating boats on the horizon?". WBFO. Retrieved October 2, 2019.
  3. ^ "Forget Robo-Cars and Hit the Water on an Autonomous Boat". Wired. ISSN 1059-1028. Retrieved October 2, 2019.
  4. ^ Lindeman, Tracey (April 19, 2018). "Autonomous Boats Will Be On the Market Sooner Than Self-Driving Cars". Vice. Retrieved October 2, 2019.
  5. ^ a b Nadu, Tamil (April 5, 2012). "Country needs honest people: AVM Rai". The Hindu.
  6. ^ "Robotic Club of Lovedale wins championship". The Hindu. February 10, 2011. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved May 11, 2021.
  7. ^ Caya, Chris. "Are self-navigating boats on the horizon?". news.wbfo.org. Retrieved November 24, 2020.
  8. ^ "Launch NY, Z80 back self-piloting ship startup". www.bizjournals.com. Retrieved November 24, 2020.
  9. ^ "Streamlining process of detecting fevers". www.buffalo.edu. Retrieved November 24, 2020.
  10. ^ Telford, William (April 16, 2020). "Robot water taxis to be trialled by US tech giants in Plymouth". PlymouthLive. Retrieved November 24, 2020.
  11. ^ Lehman, Joel (April 27, 2018). "The journey to funding: Buffalo Automation's story". UpstartNY. Retrieved October 2, 2019.
  12. ^ "Thiru Vikram-led Startup Wins University of Buffalo Entrepreneur Competition | Global Indian | indiawest.com". June 25, 2016. Archived from the original on June 25, 2016. Retrieved April 24, 2025.
  13. ^ Miner, Dan (April 14, 2016). "Self-navigating ship startup wins prestigious Panasci prize". Buffalo Business Journal. Retrieved October 2, 2019.
  14. ^ "CSE Alumni and Friends Award Recipients". engineering.buffalo.edu. Retrieved April 24, 2025.
  15. ^ "CSE Distinguished Alumni". engineering.buffalo.edu. Retrieved April 25, 2025.
  16. ^ "Robotics startup wins Panasci competition". The Buffalo News. April 14, 2016. Retrieved October 2, 2019.
  17. ^ Lehman, Joel (April 27, 2018). "The journey to funding: Buffalo Automation's story". UpstartNY. Retrieved November 24, 2020.
  18. ^ "Thambu Nagar, Bodipatti Pin Code: Thambu Nagar, Bodipatti, Udamalpet Ho, Pollachi, Coimbatore Post Office Code & Address with Map". codepin.in. Retrieved April 25, 2025.
  19. ^ "Genganikenpalayam(po), Pongalur (via) Tirupur ( Dist) Pin Code: Genganikenpalayam(po), Pongalur (via) Tirupur ( Dist), Palladam, Tirupur, Coimbatore Post Office Code & Address with Map". codepin.in. Retrieved April 25, 2025.
  20. ^ "Europe's first commercial robotaxi service is a yellow ferry that takes you to a Dutch golf course". AI Business. Retrieved June 21, 2022.
  21. ^ "Global Student Entrepreneur Awards!". Buffalo Tech Jobs. November 9, 2018. Retrieved October 2, 2019.
  22. ^ "Meet United States's 18 Top CEO's in the Assistive Technology Startup Space – CEO". August 4, 2022. Archived from the original on August 4, 2022. Retrieved April 24, 2025.
  23. ^ "Meet United States's 44 Top CEO's in the Navigation Space – CEO". November 21, 2022. Archived from the original on November 21, 2022. Retrieved April 24, 2025.
  24. ^ US10683067B2, SURESH, Thiru Vikram; ZHITELZEYF, Alexander & KHAKHARIA, Mohit Arvind et al., "Sensor system for maritime vessels", issued June 16, 2020 
  25. ^ US10782691B2, SURESH, Thiru Vikram & KHAKHARIA, Mohit Arvind, "Deep learning and intelligent sensing system integration", issued September 22, 2020 
  26. ^ US10936907B2, SURESH, Thiru Vikram & KHAKHARIA, Mohit Arvind, "Training a deep learning system for maritime applications", issued March 2, 2021 
  27. ^ US10895802B1, SURESH, Thiru Vikram; KHAKHARIA, Mohit Arvind & LEE, Miguel Ojielong CHANG et al., "Deep learning and intelligent sensing systems for port operations", issued January 19, 2021 
  28. ^ WO2020047302A1, KHAKHARIA, Mohit Arvind; SURESH, Thiru Vikram & MCDONOUGH, Trevor R. et al., "Lane and object detection systems and methods", issued March 5, 2020 
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