For EyeROV, a KSUM-incubated robotic startup, it is a proud moment. The startup has won the National Startup Awards 2022 and received prize money of Rs 5 lakhs in the industry 4.0 sector under the category of Robotics.
Established by two IIT-ians- Johns T. Mathai and Kannappa Palaniappan- Eye ROV is a Kochi-based marine robotics company that provides products and solutions in the underwater domain. It is known for indigenous underwater drones/remotely-operated vehicles. Its product ‘EyeROV’, which is India’s first commercial underwater robotic drone, can spot a crack in the hull of a ship or damage to an oil pipeline. It has been selected by the Defence sector.
The idea was put forward by Kannappa Palaniappan who worked as an onboard scientist with the National Institute of Ocean Technology, Chennai. He used heavy drones to survey the ocean floor and inspect the ship’s hull. This challenging task inspired him to develop a portable, easy-to-carry drone. He shared the idea with Johns T. Mathai, who worked with Samsung R&D Institute of India and Grey Organe Pvt Ltd. Together, they ventured into entrepreneurship.
The duo pitched the idea to the Maker Village in Kochi in 2016 and got selected for their incubator programme.
Their product EyeROV TUNA is India’s first commercial remotely-operated underwater drone, capable of sending real-time information. It eliminates the risky and costly manual inspection by divers. The drone weighs less than 10 kg and can move at a speed of two knots. It can work up to a depth of 50 meters. The ROV has a camera fitted on it to give a live video feed. Besides ship hulls, the drone is useful in inspecting dams, bridges, oil and gas, ports, and nuclear power plants.
The duo pitched the idea to the Maker Village in Kochi in 2016 and got selected for their incubator programme. Their product EyeROV TUNA is India’s first commercial remotely-operated underwater drone, capable of sending real-time information. It eliminates the risky and costly manual inspection by divers.
The drone weighs less than 10 kg and can move at a speed of two knots. It can work up to a depth of 50 meters. The ROV has a camera fitted on it to give a live video feed. Besides ship hulls, the drone is useful in inspecting dams, bridges, oil and gas, ports, and nuclear power plants.
The company received initial funding from the BPCL project Ankur Startup Scheme and Kerala Startup Mission Idea Grant Scheme. It has worked with Mumbai Port Trust to identify ship wreckage. It has surveyed the dams for the Kerala State Electricity Board, the oil pipeline bridge for BPCL, and works with the Fire and Rescue Department of Karnataka and Kerala.
