On Friday, the Kerala state government launched the robotic scavenger Bandicoot to clean up sewage in the temple town of Guruvayur, becoming the first state in the country to use robotics to clean all commissioned manholes.

As part of the state government’s 100-day action plan, Water Resources Minister Roshi Augustine has launched Bandicoot under the Kerala Water Authority (KWA) Guruvayur Sewerage Project in Thrissur District.

“With the launch of this project in Guruvayur, manual cleanup in Kerala has ended. Kerala has now become the first state in the country to use robotic scavengers to clear manholes,” the minister said in a press release.

Bandicoot’s main component, the robot Tron Unit, enters manholes and removes sewage using a robotic hand that resembles human limbs, adding that the machine has waterproof, high-definition vision cameras and sensors that can detect harmful gases inside manholes.

Bandicoot, developed by Kerala-based Genrobotics, recently won the ‘Pride of Kerala’ award at the Huddle Global 2022 secret conference organised by Kerala State Entrepreneurship Mission (KSUM).

Introducing the robotic scavengers in Guruvayur, Augustine said it was a major step toward using technology-driven manhole cleaning solutions across the state.

“With the deployment of Bandicoot in Guruvayur, all commissioned manholes have become a robotic revolution. A special team of KWA officials will be formed to conduct robotic cleaning in Guruvayur. Modernising the sewage system will help curb the spread of the epidemic and serious health challenges caused by them,” the minister noted.

Bandicoot robots are currently deployed in several towns across India’s 17 states and three union territories. In 2018, KWA started using Bandicoot to clean manholes in Trivandrum. Later, it was also introduced to Ernakulam, the release said.

Genrobotics, a technology park-based company, has developed the “world’s first robotic sweeper,” Bandicoot, which aims to eliminate manual sweeping and provide respite for workers engaged in manhole cleaning.