Kerala startup builds robot to step in where humans shouldn’t

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Manual scavenging, an abominable practice that claims several lives across the country every year, could soon be a thing of the past with a group of young engineers from Kerala developing a robot to do the job. The Kerala Water Authority, that manages the sewage department in the state, has already placed orders for 50 robots, christened as the Bandicoot. To market their invention, the young engineers created a start-up called ‘Genrobotics’. After receiving a patent for the robot from India, the company has now applied for the worldwide patent, which will be applicable in 150 countries.

Manual scavenging is a castebased occupation mainly involving cleaning septic tanks, sewers and gutters. Despite legal bans, the dehumanising practice continues in the country. According to one estimate, more than 1,200 people died from manual scavenging related activities between 2014 and 2016 in the country.

The start-up claims the Bandicoot is the tech solution to the social malaise. Genrobotics says it will go global only after “fixing the country’s nagging problem.”

Apart from sewer lines, the robots can also be pressed into service for other under-water activities.

The death of three sewage workers on the outskirts of Bengaluru two years ago prompted the young techies to think of tackling the problem, which is often being called India’s shame, said Vimal Govind, the 24-year-old CEO of Genrobotics. Govind is a mechanical engineer.