How a 17-YO from Rural Maharashtra Built a Robot from Scrap to Help Farmers

“My uncle would come home exhausted every day, carrying a 20-litre tank of pesticide on his back. Watching him in pain made me want to do something, and that is how the idea of ‘KrushiBot’ was born,” says Aditya Pingale.

In the small village of Awankhed, in Maharashtra’s Nashik district, a 17-year-old is trying to change the future of farming. He does not have millions of rupees in funding or a team of engineers working in a high-tech lab. What he does have is a big heart, a stack of scrap parts, and the support of his school. 

Growing up as the son of a farmer, he has seen firsthand how unforgiving rural life can be. His mission is to make life easier for farmers because he feels their pain in a way few others can understand. Having seen the relentless struggles of those he loves, working from dawn to dusk, battling the harsh weather, and enduring physical exhaustion, he understands all too well the toll it takes on both their bodies and their spirits. 

His father works tirelessly to provide for their family of six, while his uncle, a grape farmer, often returns home after a strenuous day in the fields, weighed down by a heavy pesticide tank that leaves his body aching. “I watched him come back every day, and complain about his stiff joints and sore body. It broke my heart,” Aditya says softly. “I knew there had to be a better way to solve these problems.”

From watching pain to building hope: The birth of an idea

This sense of frustration and empathy lit an idea in the student’s mind. He knew that the endless cycle of physical strain and financial burden was not sustainable, and he was determined to change it. That is when the concept for ‘KrushiBot’ was born, an innovative solution to ease the heavy load carried by farmers like his uncle.

With nothing but determination, ingenuity, and the help of his school, he turned his dream into reality. The bot is designed to tackle the physical challenges of farming, particularly the arduous task of spraying pesticides. Built from scrap materials, the bot is not only a mechanical solution, but it also stands as a symbol of hope and innovation for the farming community. Though it may not boast the high-tech resources of large companies, it embodies the power of local knowledge and a desire to improve the lives of those who need it most.

“I would see farmers, especially my uncle, carry a heavy tank on his back and walk through the entire field, spraying everything by hand,” says the 17-year-old to The Better India. “Eventually, he developed back pain and shoulder problems. I realised I have to find a solution to save him from long-term health repercussions.”

That realisation led him to think of a mobile-controlled and battery-powered spraying robot that farmers can operate from their phones, removing the need to carry heavy equipment across the fields.

In 2023, while still in Class 9 at Madhyamik Vidyalay Awankhed, Aditya enrolled in a mobile repairing course offered by the Salaam Bombay Foundation. The foundation’s STEM and robotics programme encourages students to solve real-world problems using technology.

“We were asked to think of a problem around us and build something to solve it,” the student recalls. “Immediately, I thought of my uncle and the other farmers in our village.”

No lab, no funding: Just utilising scrap and minimum resources

With no prior formal knowledge of coding or robotics, he set out to learn everything from the ground up. He received support from Salaam Bombay, which offered him training in mobile technology, basic electronics, and coding, skills he had never imagined himself learning before. At home, his father became his hands-on mentor, teaching him how to weld and work with tools. 

Meanwhile, his close friends, Parashram Pingal and Abhijeet Pawar, played an important role in shaping the project, offering design ideas, troubleshooting challenges, and cheering him on every step of the way. Together, they turned a shared dream into something real, built not in a lab, but in the heart of their village.

However, the prototype of the device was far from perfect. 

“The first version just did not work the way I had hoped,” he says. “It was too heavy, the wheels could not handle the weight, and it struggled to move across the field. But I did not want to stop there. I knew I had to keep trying and improving if I wanted to provide some relief to our community,” he adds.

How the first try became the first fail: Reinventing the device

He dismantled the entire prototype and started from scratch. This time, he focused on using lighter and more practical materials. He replaced the bulky components with recycled parts like tyres from old ride-on toy cars, a battery salvaged from a discarded 12-volt toy vehicle, and various other elements sourced from nearby scrap shops. Every piece was carefully selected and repurposed to reduce weight and improve mobility.

Over months of trial and error, Aditya pieced together a functioning machine. The KrushiBot can carry a 16-litre tank, runs on a 12V rechargeable battery, and is controlled using a NodeMCU, a Wi-Fi-enabled microcontroller that connects to a mobile phone.

“Through the phone, the farmer can move the robot in any direction and control the sprayer. The NodeMCU receives the signal and instructs the motors,” he explains.

He also installed a 360-degree camera on the bot, allowing farmers to get a real-time view of the field without having to physically walk through it. In addition, he installed a simple nut-and-bolt mechanism that lets the sprayer be raised or lowered depending on the crop’s height. This is a practical solution for farms that grow a variety of crops, such as tall grapevines and shorter plants like mint. This adaptability makes the device customisable and farmer-friendly

The student tested the device on his uncle’s grape farm and his grandfather’s pudina (mint) fields. He wanted to see if his creation could make a difference in real farming conditions. Both trials were a success, proving that the bot is a low-cost, practical and efficient working solution.

How the bot helps different farmers

“Before this, it used to take me over an hour and a half to spray the field,” says Sandeep Pingal, Aditya’s uncle, recalling the tedious and physically draining task. “Now I can finish the job in under an hour, without carrying anything on my back. It is safer, quicker, and I don’t even have to walk through the field to spray pesticides or water. I never imagined a schoolboy from our own family could create something like this,” he adds.

The machine not only reduced his physical workload but also helped in cutting extra costs. 

The 17-year-old innovator showcased KrushiBot at competitions like Techvision 1 and 2, and the LEGO League in Goa. When he struggled to carry the robot on a flight due to its size, he did not back down. He redesigned it to be foldable, making it compact enough for air travel. This is another example of his quick thinking and determination.

The final version of the device runs for up to three hours and gets fully recharged in just 40 minutes. “I made it light and compact so it can be carried easily, whether on a bike, a bus, or even on a flight,” he says. “It has to be something farmers can take anywhere without struggling.”

Gaurav Arora, Chief Growth Officer at Salaam Bombay Foundation, recalls meeting the student during the STEM programme at his school.

“Aditya stood out for his clarity of thought and purpose,” Arora says. “We believe students from underserved communities are surrounded by real problems, and often have impactful solutions. They just need the tools and the opportunity.” The foundation supported the student with training, components, and mentorship. But the drive and creativity were entirely his.

“He built the robot piece by piece, learning as he went, and kept improving it despite having barely any resources. That is what real innovation is, finding creative solutions when you have almost nothing to work with,” the Chief Growth Officer adds.

‘I want to make more KrushiBots and give them to farmers for free’

Now that KrushiBot is fully functional, Aditya has even bigger dreams. He wants to launch a company focused on developing low-cost and smart farming tools that can be customised for different crops and terrains.

“I want to make more KrushiBots and give them to farmers for free,” he says. “In the future, I wish to build a robot that can also kill pests, cut grass, and take care of the entire field.”

He also plans to make the device more adaptable, so it can serve a wider range of farming needs. By simply swapping out the tyres or changing the nozzle, farmers growing different types of crops can use the same machine. Whether it is spraying water, fertiliser, or organic manure, the bot can be adjusted to suit the task.

“It is not just about technology,” adds the 17-year-old student. “It is about making farmers’ lives easier, healthier, and more dignified.” 

From welding scraps alongside his father to learning how to code, the student has built the device from the ground up. In a world where innovation is often seen as the domain of the privileged or urban, his journey is a reminder that meaningful change can begin anywhere, even in a small village, if you have the resolve to do something for the community.

Edited by Saumya Singh; All pictures courtesy Aditya Pingale