Chennai, June 30, 2025: The Chennai Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (CMWSSB) has completed one year of using Bandicoot Mobility+ robots in sewer cleaning operations, marking a significant step forward in adopting technology to improve sanitation safety and efficiency.
Deployed since April 2024, these robots have cleaned over 5,000 manholes and stormwater drains across the city, reducing the dependence on manual scavenging and improving working conditions for sanitation workers. The Bandicoot Mobility+ system, developed by Kerala-based deep-tech startup Genrobotics, is designed for deep, contactless cleaning of manholes, reaching depths beyond 10 meters.
The Mobility+ variant, mounted on a vehicle, allows easy transportation and operation in congested urban areas. Features such as real-time camera monitoring, gas detection, and onboard waste collection ensure hygienic and safe operations without the need for human entry into manholes. The system includes stabilizing mechanisms, automatic dumping, and storage units to support smooth and efficient cleaning.
The initiative has received attention beyond Chennai, with the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) announcing plans to introduce Bandicoot robots in Bengaluru for drain cleaning, reflecting a wider trend towards technology-led urban infrastructure.
“What Chennai has achieved is not just about using robots to clean manholes—it’s about bringing dignity, safety, and innovation into sanitation,” said Rashid K, Co-founder of Genrobotics. “Bandicoot, the world’s first robotic scavenger, was fully developed in-house in India—built from scratch to solve the real issue of manual scavenging.”
He added, “India has immense talent—from IITs to passionate innovators across the country. In a developing nation like ours, countless social issues still need real solutions. True innovators should focus on addressing these challenges to help India thrive as a deep tech ecosystem, rather than imitating what already exists for short-term gain. That’s exactly why we chose the path of genuine, purpose-driven innovation—not just to build technology, but to create real change for people. And we’ve been committed to that mission since 2012.”
Following its successful use in Chennai, CMWSSB plans to extend the robotic cleaning program to additional city zones and scale up efforts for the upcoming monsoon season.
x
