Can this portable robot end septic tank deaths once it is deployed?

A group of researchers from IIT Madras is developing a robot that can help clean septic tanks without people having to enter the tanks

A statement by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment in the Lok Sabha, reported on in The Hindu, says that it will be in the five years to the 31st and union territories, being Uttar Pradesh (52), Tamil Nadu (43) and Delhi (36) top the list. Maharashtra had 34 and Gujarat and Haryana each had 31, the statement said. This despite bans and prohibition orders.

A group from the Mechanical Engineering Department and the Center for Non-Destructive Testing (CNDE) at IIT Madras has developed a robot that, if used extensively, can put an end to this practice of sending people into septic tanks. It took the group around three years to develop the robot called HomoSEP (“homogeniser of septic tanks”).

The idea of ​​building a robot that can wade through sewers and septic tanks initially led the group to a fish-like model that could provide insight into its contents. However, in talking to workers, they realized that a simpler device that focused more on homogenizing the contents of a septic tank would be of greater help, and then they set out to develop HomoSEP.

Upside down umbrella

HomoSEP has a shaft attached to blades that can open like an inverted umbrella when inserted into a septic tank. This is helpful because the openings in the septic tanks are small and the tank interiors are larger. The mud in a septic tank contains feces that have thickened like hard clay and settled on the bottom. This has to be crushed and homogenized so that it can be sucked off and the septic tank cleaned. This is exactly what the robot’s whirring blades achieve.

In addition, the latest version of the robot is a lightweight model that can be attached to a tractor and driven into remote and inaccessible areas. The robot is attached to the axle of the tractor and can be operated with the power of the tractor. If necessary, it can be removed from the tractor.

“The first version [of the robot] was very bulky and made entirely of steel. It was also a stationary unit and required an external power supply … from the mains or a battery source. It had to be lifted with a forklift, placed on a tank, and then the operation could be performed, ”says Divanshu Kumar, IIT Madras engineering group alumnus and CEO of Solinas Integrity Private Limited, a startup developing the robot. “At that time we didn’t know anything about the contents of the septic tanks, so the profile of the blades was quite simple.”

Key innovations

In the three years since 2019 and the pandemic and the associated hurdles, the group worked on this zeroth model, refining its properties, going from concept to computer design, to simulation, to testing and back to the drawing board until they developed the latest version. “We made some significant changes to the first proof-of-concept model: we first improved the bucket design to match the liquid in the septic tank; then we have achieved miniaturization so that only two people can carry the robot; Finally, we integrated it into a tractor so that it is portable and can be operated with the power of the engine, ”says Prabhu Rajagopal from the Department of Mechanical Engineering at IIT Madras and senior researcher who anchored the development of the robot.

Feedback and validation

To mimic the qualities of the contents of the septic tank, they created material with similar properties, which they tested with the help of Prof. Abhijit Deshpande of the Chemical Engineering Department. During the development process, they also took members of Safai Karamchari Andolan with them and asked for feedback and confirmation.

The present model was tested in a field test campaign in a series of septic tanks near the department in March. Another series of field tests is pending, after which it is planned to use the robot themselves after a pilot test by the workers. The project was carried out with corporate social responsibility funding from the GAIL Foundation, CapGemini, the WIN Foundation and, more recently, the National Stock Exchange Foundation.

The researchers plan to distribute eight units in Tamil Nadu and are in contact with Safai Karamchari Andolan to identify the locations. They are also considering locations in Gujarat and Maharashtra. “A lot of people ask me why, 70 years after independence, there is still manual cleanup … It is not enough to sit in your home and wish it to go away. Pious intentions are good, but beyond that we need someone who does the actual work to solve the problem and people who support those who do this, ”says Prof. Rajagopal. “I’m not saying our group will solve the problem. Our country is too big and the challenges too numerous. But I hope to be an example. ”

“In the short term, it may not be worth it to be celebrated like a paper in Nature or for breakthrough technology, but this is a problem that people need to stick their necks out to and come up with a practical, workable technological solution. It’s a matter of intent, ”he concludes.

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