Featured image courtesy: Flickr (For representational purposes only)
Manual scavenging, a practice as old as time, is a stark reminder of humanity’s darkest side. This hazardous and dehumanising task, involving the manual cleaning of sewers and septic tanks, has claimed countless lives and inflicted untold suffering.
While there are laws in place to prevent the employment of manual scavengers — The Employment of Manual Scavengers and Construction of Dry Latrines (Prohibition) Act, 1993, and The Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Act, 2013 — the statistics are grim. A Rajya Sabha report revealed over 300 deaths between 2018 and 2023, a chilling testament to the dangers of this practice.
And beyond the physical toll, there’s an even more insidious impact: the social stigma. are often ostracised, their dignity eroded by a society that deems their work impure. As a result, those engaged in this work are often left with little hope for better job prospects or social mobility.
But what if technology could end not just the physical danger of this work, but also the centuries-old stigma attached to it?
Kerala-based startup Genrobotics promises to answer this question with Bandicoot — a machine designed to eliminate manual scavenging.
Founded by four engineers — Arun George, Nikhil NP, Rashid K, and Govind MK — Genrobotics’ flagship innovation, the Bandicoot robot, is named after a species of rats which is known to dig and live in tunnels underground. It is specifically designed to clean sewers, septic tanks, and manholes without the need for manual labour.
The Bandicoot robot is designed to operate in narrow, confined spaces, which are typically difficult and dangerous for humans to navigate and consists of two main components: a stand unit and a robotic drone unit. The drone unit is lowered into the manhole, where it uses high-resolution cameras to scan the surroundings.
These cameras help the operator monitor the inside of the manhole on a 13-inch display, providing real-time footage of the environment. Once the operator identifies the waste that needs to be cleared, the Bandicoot’s multi-functional robotic arm, equipped with shovels and grabbing tools, is deployed to collect the waste.
Many sanitation workers are cramped into hazardous spaces. This puts their lives at risk while performing manual scavenging, Picture source: Flickr
The robot’s four sturdy robotic legs ensure stability and agility as it moves within the manhole, making it ideal for these difficult-to-reach locations. It also features sensors to , such as methane, that could otherwise be fatal to a human worker.
There are different versions of the Bandicoot, including the ‘Mini Bandicoot’, which is solar-powered and compact, and the ‘Mobility Plus’, a larger, more advanced model that features vehicle mounting and an integrated waste disposal system.
Not only does the start-up’s approach offer a but it also creates a more sustainable and humane future for sanitation workers. Through its mission, ‘Mission Robohole’, the company has deployed over 350 robots across 23 states and four countries, helping improve the work conditions of over 3,300 sanitation workers.
Sanitation workers are trained to operate the robots, creating new employment opportunities, Picture source: Genrobotics
The introduction of robotic cleaning has allowed cities and municipalities to transition from human labour to machines, thus removing the need for manual scavenging to an extent, in many regions like Ulhasnagar, Kanpur, Nava Raipur, and Noida. Recently the Gandhinagar Municipal Corp. added two more Bandicoot robots to their inventory, in addition to the six that were already employed.
The company has gained significant recognition, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and UN Secretary-General António Guterres attending the launch of an early Bandicoot model in 2018.
In addition to Bandicoot, Genrobotics has also developed other robots for specialised tasks, such as the Wilboar, designed for cleaning petroleum tanks, and the G-Gaiter, a gait-training robot for people with mobility issues.
Edited by Arunava Banerjee
Manual scavenging, a practice as old as time, is a stark reminder of humanity’s darkest side. This hazardous and dehumanising task, involving the manual cleaning of sewers and septic tanks, has claimed countless lives and inflicted untold suffering.
While there are laws in place to prevent the employment of manual scavengers — The Employment of Manual Scavengers and Construction of Dry Latrines (Prohibition) Act, 1993, and The Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Act, 2013 — the statistics are grim. A Rajya Sabha report revealed over 300 deaths between 2018 and 2023, a chilling testament to the dangers of this practice.
And beyond the physical toll, there’s an even more insidious impact: the social stigma. are often ostracised, their dignity eroded by a society that deems their work impure. As a result, those engaged in this work are often left with little hope for better job prospects or social mobility.
But what if technology could end not just the physical danger of this work, but also the centuries-old stigma attached to it?
Kerala-based startup Genrobotics promises to answer this question with Bandicoot — a machine designed to eliminate manual scavenging.
A robotic solution to a dehumanising problem
Founded by four engineers — Arun George, Nikhil NP, Rashid K, and Govind MK — Genrobotics’ flagship innovation, the Bandicoot robot, is named after a species of rats which is known to dig and live in tunnels underground. It is specifically designed to clean sewers, septic tanks, and manholes without the need for manual labour.
The Bandicoot robot is designed to operate in narrow, confined spaces, which are typically difficult and dangerous for humans to navigate and consists of two main components: a stand unit and a robotic drone unit. The drone unit is lowered into the manhole, where it uses high-resolution cameras to scan the surroundings.
These cameras help the operator monitor the inside of the manhole on a 13-inch display, providing real-time footage of the environment. Once the operator identifies the waste that needs to be cleared, the Bandicoot’s multi-functional robotic arm, equipped with shovels and grabbing tools, is deployed to collect the waste.
Many sanitation workers are cramped into hazardous spaces. This puts their lives at risk while performing manual scavenging, Picture source: Flickr
The robot’s four sturdy robotic legs ensure stability and agility as it moves within the manhole, making it ideal for these difficult-to-reach locations. It also features sensors to , such as methane, that could otherwise be fatal to a human worker.
There are different versions of the Bandicoot, including the ‘Mini Bandicoot’, which is solar-powered and compact, and the ‘Mobility Plus’, a larger, more advanced model that features vehicle mounting and an integrated waste disposal system.
Not only does the start-up’s approach offer a but it also creates a more sustainable and humane future for sanitation workers. Through its mission, ‘Mission Robohole’, the company has deployed over 350 robots across 23 states and four countries, helping improve the work conditions of over 3,300 sanitation workers.
Sanitation workers are trained to operate the robots, creating new employment opportunities, Picture source: Genrobotics
The introduction of robotic cleaning has allowed cities and municipalities to transition from human labour to machines, thus removing the need for manual scavenging to an extent, in many regions like Ulhasnagar, Kanpur, Nava Raipur, and Noida. Recently the Gandhinagar Municipal Corp. added two more Bandicoot robots to their inventory, in addition to the six that were already employed.
The company has gained significant recognition, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and UN Secretary-General António Guterres attending the launch of an early Bandicoot model in 2018.
In addition to Bandicoot, Genrobotics has also developed other robots for specialised tasks, such as the Wilboar, designed for cleaning petroleum tanks, and the G-Gaiter, a gait-training robot for people with mobility issues.
Edited by Arunava Banerjee