Indian student in Abu Dhabi invents robots for cleaner, greener environment

An Indian student in Abu Dhabi has developed robots to help protect marine life and also minimise human labour on farms, an innovation he hopes would be implemented on a bigger scale in the UAE, according to a media report.

Sainath Manikandan, a student at GEMS United Indian School, built the Marine Robot Cleaner (MBot Cleaner) that helps preserve the marine environment and Agriculture Robot (Agribot) that help reduce the labour of farmers who work in hot countries like the UAE, Khaleej Times reported on Wednesday.

"MBot is a prototype robot that can remove floating wastes from surface water. It is basically shaped like a boat and can be operated remotely with a radio control. It runs with two motors that help the boat move in the water," Manikandan said.

He added that popsicle sticks are attached to a wheel and then to the third motor to push the waste from the water bodies into the storage basket.

"Solar panels can also be used instead of batteries. Although this project could plausibly restore the purity of water, it nevertheless could be the initial step taken forward towards creating a better ecosystem," he said, adding that developing this robot on a bigger scale, "we can try to preserve our marine species and environment."