Two young Indian engineers saw a problem that had become almost normal across the world: polluted rivers, lakes and coastlines, and people risking their health to clean them.Instead of accepting that this was how things had to be, they decided to build a different solution.
Utkarsh Goel and Sidhant Gupta, Indian entrepreneurs and graduates of the University of Hong Kong, co-founded Clear Robotics, the company behind Clearbot – a fleet of electric robotic boats designed to collect waste from water bodies.
Their idea was simple but powerful: why should people have to enter polluted waters when machines could do much of this difficult work?
From an idea to a company
The two founders came from India with a shared interest in technology and robotics. Sidhant Gupta, who grew up in Bengaluru, developed an interest in robotics at a young age. His earlier experiments included building small robots and exploring how technology could solve practical problems.
Their thinking took a different direction when they encountered the problem of water pollution. They saw how people were manually collecting rubbish from beaches and waterways, often working in difficult and potentially hazardous conditions.
They realised that existing cleaning methods were labour-intensive, expensive and sometimes environmentally damaging themselves. In 2019, they began developing an electric robotic boat. What started as an experiment eventually became Clear Robotics, founded in 2020.
How do these robots work?
Clearbot’s boats use cameras, sensors, GPS and AI-assisted technology to identify and collect floating waste. They can be remotely operated or programmed to follow specific routes.
Advanced models use navigation systems to avoid obstacles, including birds and other objects. The collected waste is brought back to designated locations for segregation and disposal or recycling.
The boats are battery-powered and can also use solar charging stations. Depending on the model, they can collect between 150 kg and three tonnes of waste. The biggest advantage is that workers no longer need to be physically exposed to polluted water to perform the entire collection process. They can supervise operations and focus on sorting and managing the waste instead.
More than 100 tonnes removed
Clear Robotics’ work has moved well beyond its initial operations. According to NITI Aayog’s August 2026 report, the company has removed more than 100 tonnes of waste across India, Singapore, the Philippines and the UAE. Its fleet had reached 25 boats, approximately 13 of which were operating in India.
One of its significant projects was at Meghalaya’s Umiam Lake, where 42 tonnes of waste were removed. Other Indian projects include operations at Jawaharlal Nehru Port in Mumbai, Visakhapatnam, Kolkata, Chennai and Bharatpur. The company has also undertaken waste removal work along the Falgu River in Bihar.
These are not just impressive numbers. They demonstrate how technology can make environmental cleaning more systematic, reduce human exposure to hazardous conditions and improve the scale of operations.
What next for India?
The company’s ambitions extend beyond collecting floating rubbish. In June 2026, Clear Robotics announced a $1.75 million funding round to accelerate its expansion in India, Southeast Asia and the Middle East.
Its plans include developing larger vessels capable of handling 5–6 tonnes of waste, advancing automated port surveying and expanding its technology for other maritime operations.
Its boats are also being developed for tasks such as water-quality monitoring, underwater surveys, water hyacinth removal and delivering goods to difficult-to-access locations.
India has thousands of rivers, lakes, ponds and coastal areas that need better protection. We cannot depend only on occasional clean-up drives to address a problem of this scale.
We need more Indian innovators, companies, research institutions and governments to work together on practical environmental solutions. Technology alone cannot prevent waste from entering our rivers and lakes. Better waste management and responsible public behaviour remain essential. But innovations such as Clearbot can change how we deal with the pollution that is already there.
Perhaps the real achievement of Utkarsh Goel and Sidhant Gupta is not just the waste their machines have collected. It is that they have shown us how a problem we have lived with for generations can be approached differently. India needs more such thinking. And more importantly, it needs to give such innovations the opportunity to grow.
