Kerala to use robots to clean sewers, end manual-scavenging
Thiruvananthapuram: Robots will soon replace men in cleaning up sewer holes in Kerala, ending the age-old practice of manual scavenging in the southern state.
'Bandicoot', the robot developed by the start-up firm Genrobotics, will be used for cleaning sewer holes.
The Kerala Water Authority (KWA) and Kerala Startup Mission (KSUM) today signed an MoU for transfer of technology and products, including use of the robots for the purpose.
The MoU was signed between Kerala Water Innovation Zone under KWA and KSUM at the Chief Minister's office here, a statement said here.
'Bandicoot' will start its work, so far mostly done manually, by cleaning sewer holes in the city during the coming famed Attukal Pongala festival in Thiruvananthapuram in March, it said.
The robot has four limbs and a bucket system attached to a spider web looking extension, which can go inside the manhole.
After shoveling the heap of garbage at the bottom of the manhole, it will be collected by using the bucket system before lifting it upward.
It also has Wi-Fi and Bluetooth modules, it said.
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, Minister for Water Resources Mathew T Thomas, IT Secretary M Sivasankar, KSUM CEO Saji Gopinath, Additional Chief Secretary, Water Resources,Tom Jose, KWA officials and eight representatives from Genrobotics were present on the occasion.
KSUM had funded for the project by Genrobotics, which conducted a field study to find a solution for manual scavenging.
Meanwhile, KWA is also conducting research on the issue following the Chief Minister's instruction to find a remedy for it.
Genrobotics is planning to market the product within six months.
It has already got enquiries from states like Tamil Nadu to take it to the national-level.
Founded in 2015, GenRobotics specialises in powered exoskeletons and human controlled robotic systems.
The robot is powered by pneumatics (using gas or pressurised air) since using heavy electronic equipment inside is risky as they can react with the explosive gases present in the manhole.
The KSUM is a nodal agency of the Kerala Government for entrepreneurship development and incubation activities in the state.
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Google Maps lands Assam Police in Nagaland, locals hold them captive mistaking them for criminals
Guwahati, Jan 8: A 16-member team of the Assam Police inadvertently strayed into Nagaland's Mokokchung district during a raid while they were following directions on Google Maps, and was attacked by locals and held captive overnight, an official said on Wednesday.
According to a senior official of Assam Police, the incident occurred on Tuesday night when a team of the Jorhat District Police was carrying out a raid to apprehend an accused.
"It was a tea garden area, which was shown in Assam on Google Maps. However, it was actually inside Nagaland. The team went inside Nagaland in pursuit of the criminal due to confusion and misleading guidance on GPS," he said.
The locals thought the Assam Police team to be some miscreants carrying sophisticated arms and detained them, he said.
"Of the 16 personnel, only three were in uniform and the rest were in civil dress. This also led to confusion among the locals. They also attacked the team and one of our personnel was injured," he added.
Upon receiving the information of the hostile situation in Nagaland, the Jorhat Police immediately contacted Mokokchung Superintendent of Police, who sent a team to the spot to rescue the Assam Police personnel.
"The locals then realised that it was a genuine police team from Assam and released five members, including the injured person.
"They, however, held the remaining 11 persons as captives overnight. They were released in the morning and reached Jorhat later," the official said.
