Two undergraduate students from the Department of Mechanical Engineering, School of Engineering, Coimbatore, have been awarded a ₹5 lakh seed grant for their river-cleaning robot project, “Riverant.” The recognition came at ThinQbator Cohort 7, held on April 8 at the India Habitat Centre, New Delhi.
M Phani Nithin and Shravan A P, third-year BTech students specialising in Automation and Robotics, developed “Riverant” as a solution to tackle plastic pollution in water bodies. The robot is designed to collect floating plastic waste, offering a sustainable approach to waterway cleanliness.
The seed funding was awarded under the ThinQbator program, an initiative jointly run by the NASSCOM Foundation and CISCO, which supports socially relevant innovations by student teams across the country. The award was presented by Jyoti Sharma, CEO of NASSCOM Foundation, and Harish Krishnan, Managing Director, CISCO India & SAARC.
Speaking on the achievement, Dr. Ramesh Kumar K., Chairman and Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering, said the recognition is a reflection of the university’s emphasis on practical application of technical knowledge. “Our students are encouraged to develop solutions with real-world impact. This recognition underlines their commitment to environmental sustainability,” he said.
“Riverant” was selected as one of the top innovations in the cohort, which included entries from institutions across India.
