Odia professor develops ‘mechanized broom’ that can be helpful in post COVID times

Kolkata: Adding to the list of innovations to simplify the day to day services in the COVID-19 struck situation, a team of researchers in the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Kharagpur led by an Odisha-born Professor has developed a mechanized mobile broom that could clean up large areas.

Prof. Mihir Sarangi who is currently serving as the Associate Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering in the Kharagpur campus of IIT has received a pat on the back from its Director Prof. Virendra K Tewari for the frugal innovation in these testing times.

Named Sammarjak MB 4.2, the technology consists of two mechanized brooms in the front and one side, running on battery and solar power. It has the flexibility to move the dirt on roads in angular directions or in up and down direction to fit various road conditions. The team has already tested the invention on the campus premises and declared it successful.

As social distancing and staff cut down have been mandated amid the lockdown situation, the mechanized broom has been designed to ensure uninterrupted maintenance and sanitation work even with minimum on-duty sanitation staff.

“The system is highly flexible to suit Indian road conditions including those in semi-urban areas. Being an indigenously built technology we kept in mind the steep curves and undulations of Indian streets and made the brooms adjustable vertically and horizontally. Further, we have added solar power charging in addition to the battery to keep the running cost low,” Sarangi said.

Elsewhere, vouching for the latest invention, Director Tiwari said that this could be a quick-fix solution in the post COVID society that will bear with the staff shortage issue for quite some time.