Overview
- The five-student team from Dumka Engineering College has moved their prototype, called Nature's Revival Bot, to the Shiv Ganga pond for on-site testing and has a live demonstration scheduled for Monday before the Shravani Mela that begins July 30.
- The device uses a motor-driven track-belt conveyor to lift floating waste into a net-covered collection bucket and is driven by three motors with a photoelectric sensor to detect obstacles.
- Project members report a 48-volt hybrid battery (lithium-ion plus lead-acid) that can run up to 20 hours, an 8 sq ft per minute cleaning rate, about a 1 km operating range, and a 3–4 quintal bucket capacity.
- Officials say one unit has been deployed to reduce labour for pond cleaning during the pilgrimage, but the machine remains a prototype that must be monitored in the field and requires manual removal of collected waste when the bucket fills.
- Beyond immediate sanitation needs, district leaders view the deployment as a test case for ‘Made in Jharkhand’ student innovation that could inspire similar local solutions if the demonstration proves its real-world performance and scalability.