Bandicoot, a robotic scavenger, was introduced by the Kerala government on Friday to clean the sewage in the pilgrimage centre of Guruvayur. With this move, the state became India’s first to fully automate manhole cleaning with the help of robot scavengers. As part of the Kerala Water Authority’s (KWA) 100-day action plan, Roshi Augustine, the state’s minister for water resources, launched Bandicoot under the Guruvayur Sewerage Project in the Thrissur district.
Bandicoot, Kerala’s Robotic Scavenger For Manhole Cleaning
Kerala’s Water Resource Minister Roshi Augustine said that these robotic scavengers will clean all the commissioned sewers and drainages in the state. He also mentioned that with this launch, manual scavenging in Kerala has come to an end. A startup established in Technopark, Genrobotics, has created this robotic marvel, Bandicoot. Kerala Startup Mission’s Huddle Global 2022 summit recently honoured Genrobotics with the prestigious ‘Kerala Pride’ award.
Bandicoot’s main robot, the Tron Unit, descends into the manhole and removes sewage with artificial arms that resemble robotic hands. Genrobotics claims that Bandicoot has HD vision cameras and sensors that are waterproof and can detect hazardous gases inside manholes. The minister inaugurated the scavenger at the Guruvayur Municipality and called it a major step towards using a tech-driven solution for cleaning the drainage.
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Bandicoot Is Currently Deployed In Some Parts Of India
All of the commissioned manholes in Guruvayur have undergone a robotic revolution as a result of the deployment of Bandicoot. To operate the robotic cleaning in Guruvayur, a dedicated team of KWA employees will be organised. The modernization of the sewer system will aid in limiting the spread of epidemics and the severe health issues they bring about. Currently, Bandicoot robots are being used in a few places throughout 17 states and three union territories in India.
Vimal Govind M K, the director of Genrobotic Innovations, gave a presentation on the technology during the event that was hosted in P. Krishna Pillai Square in Kerala. In order to clean manholes, KWA started using Bandicoot in Thiruvananthapuram in 2018. It was also used in Ernakulam.
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We wish to see more such robot scavengers across the country!
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Cover Image Courtesy: @genrobotics/Instagram