Bengaluru-born AI robot that ‘eats’ wet waste wins praise from Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw. Video

Biocon's Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw praised “Chewie”, an Bengaluru-born AI robot that eats wet waste and turns it into usable soil.

Published on: Aug 30, 2025, 12:23:39 IST

By Yamini C S, Bengaluru

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In a city battling mounting piles of wet waste and overflowing landfills, a homegrown innovation has caught the attention of one of Bengaluru’s most respected voices. Biocon Chairperson Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw took to social media to praise an AI-powered robot called "Chewie", calling it a promising solution for managing the city’s household garbage.

Biocon Chairperson Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw praised Chewie, a Bengaluru-born innovative robot that transforms kitchen waste into usable soil.

“Wow! Innovation for Bengaluru’s home-produced wet garbage,” she posted, sharing a video of the compact kitchen robot at work.

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Watch the video here:

Developed in Bengaluru, Chewie is an AI-driven waste-processing unit that digests kitchen wet waste - including food scraps, peels, and leftovers - and converts it into usable, nutrient-rich soil within hours. It eliminates the need to store rotting organic waste in bins, tackling one of the most unpleasant aspects of home waste management: the smell.

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A Bengaluru innovation for a Bengaluru problem

Although Bengaluru is known globally as a tech and start-up hub, it has long struggled with an outdated and overstretched waste management system.

By turning waste into usable soil, Chewie also supports urban gardening and farming - providing a sustainable, circular model that benefits both homes and the environment.

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Since Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw’s post, interest in Chewie has surged on social media, with many Bengalureans praising the idea and expressing interest in adopting the technology.

“Wow. Brilliant! I think he should make these large machines and sell it to municipalities. Municipalities must pay house owners for depositing waste as this waste can be converted to organic manure,” one user commented. Others expressed scepticism over how artificial intelligence is used in the machine.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Yamini C S
Yamini CS is a Senior Content Producer at Hindustan Times with nearly six years of experience in digital journalism. She is part of the India News desk, where she works on a wide range of stories cutting across civic issues, city-based developments, politics, governance, public policy, breaking news, trending topics, and international affairs that have an impact on India. Her role involves tracking fast-moving developments, verifying information from official and on-ground sources, and presenting news in a clear, accessible format for a digital-first audience. A significant part of her work includes handling live blogs during major news events, such as elections, court verdicts, political developments, civic disruptions, protests, weather-related alerts, and unfolding national or international incidents. Through live coverage, she focuses on timely updates to help readers follow complex stories as they evolve. Before moving to the broader India News desk, Yamini was associated with the Bengaluru desk at Hindustan Times, where she extensively covered urban governance, infrastructure, traffic and transport issues, weather events, public grievances, and civic administration in the city. This experience strengthened her grounding in city reporting and sharpened her focus on citizen-centric journalism. She began her career as a correspondent with Reuters after completing a postgraduate diploma in journalism from the Indian Institute of Journalism and New Media. Her early training instilled a strong emphasis on accuracy, sourcing, and news ethics, which continue to shape her reporting style. Outside of work, Yamini enjoys reading across genres, listening to music, and spending time with her family, which help her maintain balance in a fast-paced newsroom environment.Read More

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