IIT Guwahati incubated startup develops robots for cleaning oil tanks

NEW DELHI: An Indian Institute of Technology (IIT Guwahati) incubated startup BetaTank Robotics has developed two robotic solutions for maintenance of petroleum tanks.

One of the robots developed by the team can clean crude oil tank bottom sludge. The second robot can wash and strip retail outlet petrol pump tanks. The IIT Guwahati said the robots will eliminate the need for human entry for hazardous tasks.

BetaTank Robotics was incubated at IITG-Technology Incubation Centre (IITG-TIC) in 2019. It was funded under the Startup India Fund of Oil India Limited. The robots are undergoing stringent safety inspections to work in IECX /ATEX Zone 0 – the most stringent standard of the petroleum industry, IIT Guwahati said.

Senthilmurugan, chairperson of the IITG-TIC, said, ”BetaTANK Robotics’ journey sets a shining example for what passion, innovation, and the right support network can accomplish. Its success is not only a reflection of their individual brilliance but a testament to the power of the ecosystem we have tirelessly built at IITG-TIC. To fuel the next growth phase, we are actively facilitating crucial investments by engaging in strategic partnerships with esteemed investors aligned with IITG-TIC.”

Robots planned in 1995

D Chandrasekhar, founder of BetaTANK, said, “I planned to make this robot in 1995, when as a ship’s officer, I myself was inside ships oil tanks, overseeing some tank operations. I believed a robotic solution was the way to work in such an environment. That dream could not be realised for almost 3 decades - until 2019, when M/s OIL offered incubation and financial support to make this robot.”

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BetaTANK has won the Best Start up Award in the India Energy Week Summit at Bengaluru in February 2023. The company has received numerous requests for various oil industry robotic applications from various petroleum industry players since it won the award. IIT Guwahati said.