TN engineering students design low-cost robot for easy cleaning of ponds

Named as the ‘Pond Cleaner’, the device is the result of efforts by the students of Hindustan Institute of Technology (HIT) near Kelambakkam. It can remove the waste on the surface of a pond or a swimming pool.

“A motor driven track-belt system has been fixed in the device to collect the waste in a section covered with a net,” T Nandakumar, team head told DT Next on Saturday. Noting that the robot has been designed to be simple and effective, Nandakumar said, “The lower section of the belt will remain immersed to easily take out the floating weeds.”

He said the robot would be powered by two propellers, thus enabling it to move around without being burdened by the weight of the collected waste.

Team members, T Akbar Shariff and Ashley Victor, said that the operation and movement of the device would be monitored and controlled remotely through a communication interface device (over Wi-Fi) and joystick.

“Currently the robot can be operated up to 100 metres, which is the maximum surface distance for the signal transmission. However, the coverage can be enhanced up to 1 km in future,” they said, adding, “the sensor interface detects obstacles on the surface of the water.”

Accordingly, the device can move forward backward or turn left or right with the use of the communication interface. If the collection section is full, a warning sound will be given to remove the waste from the collection tray manually.

The team pointed out that the device has been designed in such a way that it would require minimal maintenance and human interference as it does the work automatically, even as manual operation is enabled. “The cost of the device has been priced below Rs 20,000 for economic feasibility. It will be available in the open market soon after the patent is obtained,” the team added.