IITian's Solinas: Robots That Clean Sewage, Build a ₹15 Crore Startup

Divanshu Kumar’s journey from an engineering project at IIT Madras to leading a technology startup began with a difficult question: how can sanitation workers be kept away from dangerous sewage-filled spaces? Kumar, who grew up in Gaya, Bihar, studied Mechanical Engineering at IIT Madras and later pursued a master’s degree in Product Design. During his studies, he worked on a robotic solution for septic-tank cleaning, an idea that eventually became the foundation for Solinas Integrity.

The project was developed as Kumar’s final-year master’s work under Professor Prabhu Rajagopal and was showcased at the IIT Madras Carbon Zero Challenge. The innovation, later known as the HomoSEP robot, received the Bhagyalakshmi and Krishna Ayengar Prize for the best master’s project in sanitation at IIT Madras. The recognition helped push the project beyond the academic environment, encouraging Kumar and his team to explore how the technology could be adapted for real-world sanitation operations.

HomoSEP is designed to reduce the need for humans to enter septic tanks and other hazardous sanitation spaces. The robot uses a rotary blade mechanism to break down hardened sludge and a suction system to remove the resulting slurry. This approach allows sanitation workers to operate the equipment from outside the tank rather than physically entering it. The technology addresses a major safety challenge associated with manual sanitation work while demonstrating how robotics can be applied to infrastructure problems that are often overlooked.

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Kumar and his team eventually developed Solinas Integrity, an IIT Madras-incubated startup focused on using robotics and artificial intelligence for water and sanitation infrastructure. The company has expanded its work beyond septic tanks, with its Endobot designed to inspect water and sewer pipelines, including narrow sections that can be difficult to examine manually. Solinas has also developed Swasth AI for data management, creating a broader technology ecosystem around the inspection, maintenance and management of essential infrastructure.

The startup has since moved from prototype development towards field deployment and partnerships involving sanitation workers, self-help groups, government bodies, civic organisations and private companies. The venture has attracted investment as it works to commercialise its technologies, with reports indicating that it raised $5 million and targeted revenue of around Rs 15 crore for FY25. Kumar’s efforts have also earned wider recognition, including his selection for the Forbes India 30 Under 30 list in 2025 in the Industry and Manufacturing category.

Interestingly, Solinas was not Kumar’s first entrepreneurial venture. While studying at IIT Madras, he co-founded Involve, a social enterprise focused on peer-based learning and mentoring in schools. His career has since developed around a similar principle of applying practical innovation to social challenges. What began as a college project aimed at making septic-tank cleaning safer has evolved into a startup using robotics and AI to address some of the most difficult and hazardous tasks in sanitation and infrastructure.

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