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IIT Madras Graduate Turns College Project Into Sanitation Robot Startup
Divanshu Kumar started working on septic-tank cleaning while studying at IIT Madras.
He saw that sanitation workers faced dangerous conditions when entering tanks and manholes.
He wanted robots to do this risky work instead.
His project later became a startup called Solinas.
Its HomoSEP Atom robot can clean tanks and manholes while workers remain outside.
The robot can cut through waste, remove sludge, suck up material and store it.
It has been used in 16 cities, including Chennai and Madurai.
Solinas also makes smaller robots and AI tools to find problems inside underground water and sewer pipes.
Divanshu Kumar developed a septic-tank cleaning project at IIT Madras after learning about sanitation workers’ hazardous conditions.
His project evolved into Solinas, an IIT Madras-incubated deep-tech and climate-tech startup.
Solinas’s HomoSEP Atom robot cleans septic tanks and manholes using blades, desilting, suction and waste storage.
HomoSEP Atom has reached 16 Indian cities, including Chennai and Madurai, according to government sources.
Solinas also builds pipeline robots and AI systems to detect leaks, blockages, contamination and infrastructure defects.
- Who
- IIT Madras graduate Divanshu Kumar and the Solinas startup team.
- What
- They developed robots and AI systems to clean septic tanks and inspect underground water and sewer pipelines.
- Where
- The technologies have been deployed in 16 Indian cities, including Chennai, Madurai, Coimbatore, Hubbali and Goa.
- When
- The project began during Kumar’s time at IIT Madras; the article was published on September 3, 2026.
- Why
- To reduce sanitation workers’ exposure to toxic and dangerous environments and improve water and sewage management.
Key facts
- Startup
- Solinas, an IIT Madras-incubated deep-tech and climate-tech company
- Main robot
- HomoSEP Atom
- Primary use
- Cleaning septic tanks and manholes
- Reported reach
- Deployed in 16 cities across India
- Worker safety
- Allows sanitation workers to operate from outside hazardous spaces
- Other technologies
- Endobot, Swasth AI, a 90-mm water robot and a 120-mm sewer robot
- Early support
- Department of Science and Technology’s Technology Business Incubator at IIT Madras
Sources
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