G-Spider, AI-equipped canal cleaning system, launched in Thiruvananthapuram

The robotic system was first deployed near the spot where sanitation worker N. Joy ventured into the canal for cleaning in 2024 and lost his life.

Minister for Local Self Governments M.B. Rajesh on Wednesday launched G-Spider, an Artificial Intelligence-equipped canal cleaning robotic system developed by startup Genrobotics at the Amayizhanjan canal near Thampanoor in Thiruvananthapuram. The robotic system was first deployed near the spot where sanitation worker N. Joy ventured into the canal for cleaning in 2024 and lost his life.

“I had promised back then that no one would ever have to do such a job again, like Joy. That promise has been kept today. Apart from ensuring that no one else will have to go through what Joy experienced, this is also an important step in the Malinya Muktham Nava Keralam project. After the incident, Vimal Govind, one of the owners of Genrobotics, approached me with an idea for designing such a system. He was advised to go ahead with the project and the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation was tasked with implementing it on the same day,” wrote Mr. Rajesh in his Facebook page.

He said that Genrobotics designed and installed the system free-of-charge. The corporation is responsible for civil works and operation and maintenance. Of the total seven CBG plants to be commissioned in the state for solid waste disposal, one will be installed in the capital, he said.

Thiruvananthapuram Mayor V.V. Rajesh presided over the function. Mr. Rajesh said the civic body will explore all the possibilities of making use of the technology developed by the company.

G-Spider is designed to operate in complex and high-risk canal environments without requiring any human entry. Built on a Cable-Driven Parallel Robotics architecture integrated with AI-enabled visual and sensor intelligence, the system enables precise detection, assessment, and removal of accumulated waste. It employs machine vision and intelligent sensors to autonomously detect and assess waste in real time. The system dynamically adapts to varying waste types, flow conditions, and structural constraints within the canal.