Bengaluru: Now, an AI robot to process wet waste at home

An AI-powered robot that turns wet waste into an odour-free, soil-like mix at home in less than four days has gone viral. It also flags dry or unwanted components in the wet waste mix. Called Chewie, it is developed by Bengaluru-based Mankomb Technologies.

The innovation came to light after Biocon chairperson Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw shared a video about it on social media recently. Bookings for its home model, Chewie Max, opened in May, and all 1,000 units were reserved in less than a week. It is priced at Rs 34,999.

The team began R&D in 2022. Mrudul Mudotholy, who founded the startup along with Dinesh Babu Sukumar and Jawahar Arumugam, said they were moved by the challenges of waste segregation in Bengaluru. “There is sometimes a risk of missing the garbage collection,” he said, citing an example.

Regenerated soil

How does it work? The robot is built on the VECA system (vision, environment orchestration, cloud, and over-the-air updates) in addition to automatic dosing and self-care.

“It uses on-device vision to identify inputs — greens, peels, and proteins like meat or bones — and even flags plastics or cutlery. It balances the carbon-to-nitrogen ratio (in the organic matter) and triggers the right enzymes. This is key since improper balance is why public composting units stink from kilometres away,” Mudotholy explained.

The robot regulates temperature, oxygen, and moisture in real time to keep decomposition odour-free. Cloud and OTA provide insights into users’ food habits and help track their carbon impact. The automatic dosing feature anticipates heavy loads, adjusts cycles, clears jams, and self-cleans, requiring no user maintenance.

The output is a soil-like mix and the process can take anywhere from as little as eight hours to just over three days. The mix can be used for gardening. “We call it ‘regen soil’, short for regenerated soil. Its nutrient profile depends on the type of waste input,” he said.

The appliance can process up to 120 kg of waste per month. It can fit under a sink or counter, requires a 6-amp power supply, and uses minimal water.

For apartments, restaurants

The next batch of the home model will open for pre-booking in January 2026. Future versions will include Chewie Z and Chewie Pro. The former is designed for high-rise apartments and is set for a 2027 launch, while the latter is a higher-capacity model for restaurants and cafeterias, expected to roll out in 2028. “By eliminating wet waste at source, households cut mixed-waste violations, reduce landfill pressure and methane emissions, and keep garbage trucks off congested roads,” Mudotholy said.

For details, visit mankomb.com/chewie