Robot to the rescue: GPS-enabled, waterproof, all-terrain equipment is decloging manholes

Express News Service

What’s sleek like a super toy, consumes solar power in one go to run for seven days, declogs manholes in 30 seconds and documents the process through a camera? Xena 6.0, the new scavenging robot deployed by the Vadodara Municipal Corporation (VMC) recently. This Rs 42 lakh wonder machine designed by Rajasthan-based Club First Robotics Pvt. Ltd. is turning out to be a game-changer in sanitation. It enables declogging the manholes efficiently.

“Traditional desilting and supersucker machines for clearing manholes consume a lot of fuel. Xena 6.0 is an electric vehicle that uses solar energy and can be electrically charged. This is good from a conservation point of view too,” says Dharmesh Rana, Executive Engineer (Mechanical) at VMC. He mentions that a weekly expenditure of approximately Rs 9,200 is incurred for diesel provisions on supersuckers and desilters. 

The GPS-enabled, waterproof, all-terrain equipment, a donation by Gujarat Urja Vikas Nigam Ltd. to the VMC, has come to the civic body’s rescue in reducing both fuel and manpower costs. “Xena 6.0 can dive into the sludge, detect the presence of different gas concentrations, and alert people to stay away if it is dangerous,” says Bhuvanesh Mishra, Managing Director, Club First Robotics, adding, “The VMC needs just one person to man Xena 6.0 as opposed to the four-person manpower necessary for the other machines.” 

Additionally, it can work in narrow lanes, which were previously inaccessible to the bulky machines. Currently, a singular robot has been functioning in Vadodara with no challenges. Xena 6.0’s operations were implemented in Surat a few days prior to Vadodara. Rana is looking forward to the changes brought by the environment-friendly model. Considering Xena 6.0 can be deployed in agriculture and in rescue operations, this innovative machine holds great promise for cities across India. 

How does this SCAVENGER work?

✥ Xena 6.0’s working replicates the dialysis technique

✥ An attachment is lowered into the sludge where it 
collects and recycles the waste internally

✥ It then retains the undissolved materials such as plastic bottles and stones, while the rest remains in the sewage system

✥ The filtered particles are collected in a storage tray and then transported to a garbage dump