This IIT Madras Gutter Cleaning Robot Is Ready To Save 23,000 Sewage Workers Lives Per Year

In India, approximately 23,000 workers who clean the sewage in India die every year.

The sewage cleaners who enter the manholes and gutters aren't given any sort of protective gear either that could prevent them from the harmful gases inside.

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However, recently, a group of students at Centre for Non-Destructive Evaluation division at IIT-Madras revealed that they're working on a robot called SEPoy that was created to help save the life of these workers.

SEPoy was awaiting lab trials to get to the next stage and according to recent reports, the lab trials for the robot has concluded successfully. SEPoy is expected to enter the Indian market in a year or two.

Created by Dr.Prabhu Rajagopal, SEPoy is a pneumatically powered robot that weighs 50 kilograms. The robot comes with a camera installed which is connected to a control unit outside. The camera will help the robot operator to look into the sewer and gauge the condition of the sewage line

SEPOY FROM IIT MADRAS

The robot is also equipped with a set of high-velocity cutters that will help it to cut through the thick sludge in the septic and clear the clog. The sepoy is also equipped with 360-degree rotating arms to collect and clear the sewage filth.

The cleaning process is conducted in two phases. The first phase involves the clearing of the sludge using the high-velocity cutters. The second phase the robot pumps out some of the content from the sewage and filling it the tank or reservoir with water.

What's also interesting about the SEPoy is that the robot isn't maintenance-heavy and thus deems to be a cost-effective tool. The entire unit costs somewhere around Rs 5-10 lakhs.

The team is working along with National Commission for Safai Karamcharis and is in talks with various ministries and municipalities for mass adoption of SEPoy.