Bandicoot Robot

Bandicoot Robot is the first robotic scavenger in the world.
It was developed by Kerala-based Genrobotics under the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan and Make in India initiative.
The main objective of developing the robot is to eliminate manual scavenging.
The robot has been in use since 2018.
- However, this is the first time, it is being used to clean public manholes, replacing humans.
- The robot fulfils the purpose of the invention for the first time.
Bandicoot was already used in several other states but not for scavenging purposes and not in public places.
Indian Oil (IOCL) announced that it will use Bandicoot robots to clean certain spots in its refineries.

Awards for Bandicoot

Genrobotics received the “Kerala Pride” award for building Bandicoot. The award was presented under Kerala Startup Mission.
Also, Genrobotics received National Award for developing the robot.

The Bandicoot has a robotic Tron unit.
It is the major component of the robot and the unit operates just like the limb of man.
The Tron enters the manhole, digs and collects the waste.
The robot is waterproof and fireproof.
It has HD vision cameras and gas sensors that identify harmful gases inside the manhole.

Bandicoot robot is named after marsupial omnivores that are endemic to Australia.
The animal is a digger.
The robot operates just like the animal digging the waste from the manhole and thus the name.
Did you know one bandicoot can make 41 digs an hour?
- That’s nearly 500 digs a night, equating to around 13 kilograms of soil being turned over every night or 4.8 tonnes a year.
- That’s almost as much as the average weight of a male African elephant.