Researchers at Chandigarh University (CU) have developed and patented a solar-powered robot waste collection system designed to reduce the labour involved in garbage collection and segregation. The automated system can collect, segregate, and dispose of waste, offering a technology-driven approach to improving waste management efficiency.
Chandigarh University researchers, including Prof. (Dr.) Nitin Sharma from the Department of Electronics and Communications Engineering (ECE), Dr. Paras Chawla, former professor in CU’s ECE department, and ECE students Hemant Kalia, Jayant Pathak and Ritesh Sharma, have been granted a patent for their solar-powered robot invention titled “Garbage Collection System and Method Thereof” by the Patent Office, Government of India, in June 2026.
Sharing details of the invention, Prof (Dr) Nitin Sharma said, “India is constantly facing difficulty in managing its municipal solid waste due to its increasing population, urbanization, and lack of land for final disposal of their waste. Solid waste consists of a highly mixed mass of discarded materials. This waste mixed with liquid waste is very difficult for labourers to collect and the manual segregation of waste is time-consuming and also causes health problems for the labourers. So the segregation of waste at source is very important as it reduces the cost of transport and treatment of waste. The process of segregating waste at source decreases the segregation cost but the human efforts are required to collect the waste from the dustbin.”
“The Garbage Collection System and Method conceived by us for automatically locating, collecting and segregating garbage. This solar-powered mobile robotic garbage collection system does not require any human involvement in performing tasks. It picks up waste, separates it into wet and dry categories, compresses the waste to increase storage capacity, monitors the chambers for filling and smoke, and transports the collected waste to a designated dumping site. It not only reduces transport and treatment cost of garbage, this system generates its own power through renewable resources,” he added.
Prof Sharma further said, “This garbage collection system comprises of a housing mounted on 360-degree wheels, allowing the machine to move or turn in different directions automatically. The system comprises wet and dry chambers attached to the housing for storing collected garbage. A vision sensor is configured to detect objects in front of the system and determine whether an object is garbage or an obstacle. Upon identification of garbage, the system is configured to collect the garbage using a robotic arm. The collected garbage is then analyzed using a capacitive sensor to determine whether it is wet or dry. Based on the detected type, the garbage is directed to the respective wet or dry chamber. Both chambers comprise a compressor unit configured to compress the collected garbage, thereby reducing its volume and creating additional storage space within the chambers. A pressure sensor is provided to monitor the pressure applied during the compression process. Once the chambers reach their designated capacity, the system is configured to locate the nearest dumping site for disposal of the collected garbage. The system further comprises a smoke sensor configured to detect the presence of smoke within the chambers, a GPS module for tracking the location of the system, and an Arduino microcontroller configured to control and coordinate the various operations of the system. The method for garbage collecting system comprising the steps of unlocking the system through fingerprint lock. Solar panels mounted on the machine generate electricity and charge a battery. A light sensor can adjust the position of the panels toward sunlight to improve efficiency.”
Congratulating Chandigarh University researchers for getting the patent for attendance-based health monitoring system, Deepinder Singh Sandhu, Senior Managing Director, Chandigarh University said, “This achievement reflects the strong research and innovation eco-system at Chandigarh University to support research excellence and intellectual property generation for advancement of technology. Chandigarh University’s students and faculty members have filed more than 6,100 patents out of which 5,800 patents have been published and 260 patents have been granted. Chandigarh University is ranked number one as a single institution in India for filing highest number of patents. CU’s 44 faculty members featured in Stanford University–Elsevier list of the world’s top 2% scientists. Making research a core pillar of education, Chandigarh University nurtures next-generation leaders in emerging domains with its research-intensive, innovation-driven and unique experiential learning model. Establishing a strong presence in global academic databases, CU has produced 25,000+ scholarly documents in key areas including engineering, computer science, life sciences, physical sciences, social sciences and management, according to Scopus. Over 1.53 lakh Scopus citations of CU’s diverse research output reflects a robust and growing research ecosystem.”
“The range of research activities at Chandigarh University is wide-ranging and profound. University scholars conduct research in practically every domain, and pursue to develop human knowledge through investigation, invention, and understanding. Chandigarh University is recognized as Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (SIRO) by the Union Ministry of Science and Technology’s Department of Scientific and Industrial Research (DSIR) for promoting and advancing the research. To amplify research, Chandigarh University has dedicated an annual budget of Rs 15 Crore for research and has also 60 Research Centres and 15 Centres of Excellence. CU’s research initiatives are further strengthened by 67 projects funded by the corporate sector and government bodies with Rs 90 Crore,” he added.
The innovation highlights how clean-energy technologies can support smarter waste management, with the solar-powered robot designed to improve efficiency and reduce manual intervention.
Chandigarh University is a NAAC A+ Grade University and QS World Ranked University. This autonomous educational institution is approved by UGC and is located near Chandigarh in the state of Punjab. It is the youngest university in India and the only private university in Punjab to be honoured with A+ Grade by NAAC (National Assessment and Accreditation Council). CU offers more than 109 UG and PG programs in the field of engineering, management, pharmacy, law, architecture, journalism, animation, hotel management, commerce, and others. It has been awarded as The University with Best Placements by WCRC.
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