Most engineering students dream of landing a good job after graduation. Vimal Govind MK, Rashid K, Arun George and Nikhil NP were no different. They studied together at MES College of Engineering in Kerala, graduated with plans to build successful careers and stepped into the corporate world like countless young engineers across India. But one tragic incident changed everything—and eventually changed their lives too.Today, the four founders are recognised on the Forbes Asia Under 30 list in the Industry, Manufacturing & Energy category. Their startup, Genrobotics, has built Bandicoot, India’s pioneering robotic manhole-cleaning machine that is helping eliminate the need for humans to enter toxic sewers. Their journey from engineering students to award-winning innovators began not in a laboratory, but with a heartbreaking news report they simply couldn’t ignore.
The tragedy they couldn’t forget
In 2015, three people lost their lives inside a manhole in Kozhikode, Kerala. Two municipal workers had entered a drain to clear a blockage when they became trapped inside. An autorickshaw driver stopped to help, climbed into the manhole—and never came out either.The incident deeply affected the four students.
The four engineering students — Vimal Govind MK, Rashid K, Arun George and Nikhil NP — from MES College of Engineering in Kerala. (Photo: X post)
Rashid K later recalled that until then, they barely knew what a manhole system was because their village did not have one. But as they learned more about the accident, they realised it wasn’t an isolated incident. Across India, manual scavenging had continued despite being banned since 1993. Workers were still entering sewers filled with poisonous gases like hydrogen sulphide, methane and ammonia, often without protective equipment or safety measures.Many belonged to marginalised communities, and generations of families remained trapped in the same dangerous occupation. The four students reached a simple but powerful conclusion: if technology could send machines into factories, space and deep oceans, why were human beings still being sent into toxic sewers?Instead of moving on from the story, they decided to build a solution.
From stable jobs to building a life-saving robot
After graduation, all four founders accepted corporate jobs. But the problem never left their minds.When the Kerala government invited innovators in 2017 to develop a robotic alternative to manual scavenging, they took a bold decision. They quit their jobs, returned to Kerala and dedicated themselves to solving one of India’s oldest and most neglected challenges.The result was Bandicoot—a 50-kilogram robotic machine designed to clean manholes without requiring human entry.The spider-like robot lowers itself into the manhole, stabilises using expandable legs and uses a 360-degree robotic arm to remove sludge and solid waste. Tasks that once took multiple workers nearly two hours can now be completed in around 45 minutes.But perhaps the biggest achievement isn’t the machine itself.Many sanitation workers who once risked their lives entering manholes are now trained to operate Bandicoot safely from above ground. The same people who once worked in life-threatening conditions are now controlling advanced robotic technology, marking a shift not only in engineering but also in dignity, safety and opportunity.
Changing cities—and changing mindsets
Bandicoot’s impact has steadily grown over the years. Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched Bandicoot 2.0, and the robots are now deployed across 22 Indian states as well as four other countries.Cities are increasingly embracing robotic sewer-cleaning technologies. Bengaluru, for instance, has introduced AI-enabled robotic systems through the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) and the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) to inspect, monitor and clean sewer networks without exposing workers to hazardous environments. High-resolution cameras, sensors and robotic inspection systems are helping civic agencies detect blockages and maintain underground infrastructure more safely and efficiently.The shift has also become symbolic. The Government of India has officially replaced the term “manhole” with “machine hole”, reflecting a larger vision that dangerous sewer-cleaning work should be carried out by machines—not people.For Vimal Govind MK, Rashid K, Arun George and Nikhil NP, the biggest reward isn’t just being recognised by Forbes Asia Under 30 or seeing their innovation adopted across India. It is knowing that an accident which once claimed three lives inspired a solution that could help prevent many more such tragedies in the future.Their story is a reminder that some of the world’s most meaningful innovations don’t begin with billion-dollar ideas or cutting-edge laboratories. Sometimes, they begin with four engineering students who simply refused to accept that a preventable tragedy should ever happen again.Disclaimer: This article is intended for informational purposes only and is based on publicly available reports and statements regarding the founders of Genrobotics, the development of Bandicoot and the deployment of robotic sewer-cleaning technologies in India. Deployment, adoption and operational details may vary across cities and government agencies. Readers are advised to refer to official sources for the latest information.
