Manual scavengers, manhole cleaners, sanitation workers — call them what you want — have been on strike across India since June, demanding better pay and working conditions.

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Manual scavenging is banned in India but is still prevalent. People die due to asphyxiation, inhaling toxic fumes in a manhole or septic tank, a rodent attack in the sewage pipeline, or simply passing out due to alcohol consumption before entering the septic tank.

However, even with the availability of a tech alternative to manual scavenging, there is still a huge headroom for faster adoption of this technology.

Rashid K, co-founder and director at Genrobotic Innovations, which made the world's first robotic scavenger called the Bandicoot, told CNBCTV18.com that only 15 states are leveraging the robots. This includes Urban Local Bodies, refineries, multinational companies, townships and housing colonies.

"Rajasthan will become the 16th state this month to have adopted Bandicoot, and we are scaling up to meet the growing need for a solution to end manual scavenging,” said Rashid.

Bandicoot was born in 2017, with the 1.0 version being the company’s first offering in Kerala (Kerala Water Authority was its maiden client).

Genrobotics is backed by Anand Mahindra and Sridhar Vembu, owner of Zoho, who recently invested Rs 20 crore in the startup.

How many such bots does India need to end manual scavenging?

Rashid predicts more than one lakh robots will be required to end manual scavenging in India. Apart from this, he feels there will be 5,000 new robot requirements yearly because of rapid urbanisation.

Bandicoot, which costs Rs 39.5 lakh (including the goods and services tax), is now available in version 2.0. "The business is booming. From a small office in 2017, we now have a 12,000 square feet production space in Thiruvananthapuram and one in Palakkad," said Rashid.

But even as more and more cities are on the route to adopting these robots, Rashid feels the two biggest barriers they face are language and accessibility.

“Not everyone knows what we are offering. But we are scaling up at a good speed. Almost every month, we add a state. Manesar in Haryana just received four Bandicoots. We are still figuring out Delhi connections so we can enter the capital city.”

Genrobotics is also spreading its wings in the overseas market as it realises that manual scavenging is not just an Indian phenomenon.

"Protective gear is enforced in countries like the US, but the world still doesn’t have anything like a Bandicoot. We are beginning our expansion with the Malaysian and South Korean markets,” said Rashid.

The world's first robotic scavenger, the Bandicoot robot helps clean confined spaces such as sewer manholes, sewer wells, storm water manholes, oily water sewers (OWS) and storm water sewers (SWS) in refineries.

According to Rashid, Bandicoots are designed to mimic human movements with the help of artificial intelligence (AI). It can shovel, grab, pick, and do water-jet positioning necessary for various types of cleaning.

“What is important is enforcing a cultural shift for sewage cleaners. Bandicoot can provide them with the alternative of calling themselves robot/machine operators — since somebody will always be needed to man the machine,” said Rashid.

Bandicoots are equipped with sensors to detect poisonous gasses and night vision cameras that provide visuals of the confined spaces they enter. The robot’s simple controls make it easier for the sanitation workers.

“We joined hands with Google to help us simplify the user interface. Bandicoot comes with inbuilt training assistance that helps the sanitation workers learn the operations efficiently,” said Rashid.

Genrobotics has rolled out another product — Willboar — that helps clean large tanks in sanitation, oil and gas and chemical industries.

Both Bandicoot and Willboar are derived from the names of animals. Both of them dig deep for food and shelter and work underground, much like what these robots made by Genrobotics do.

But naming products on the names of animals is just a quirk – what Rashid and his partners believe in is an equal opportunity for the sanitation workers and manual scavengers in the country to lead a life that others can respect.

“The world is sending robots to inspect Mars, but we collectively as a society failed to create a simple solution to send something 10 feet below the ground.”