An environmental tech consortium in Chennai has developed India’s first autonomous ocean-cleaning drone boat named “BlueGuard.” Designed to patrol fishing harbors and polluted bays, the electric vessel uses sonar and computer vision to identify and collect floating plastic and debris. It can collect up to 500 kg of waste per day and deposit it at dockside bins. Pilot programs in Marina Beach and Ennore Port have removed over 12 tons of waste in one month. The project has now attracted funding to scale deployment along other coasts, including Goa and Kochi.