Marut ZAP

An engineer with a vision to provide comprehensive drone solutions to
persisting global issues, Prem Kumar Vislawath, is the founder of Marut
Drones, a startup to launch India's first drone for mosquito
eradication and AI based disease prediction for Dengue and Malaria.

Bestowed with the title of "Pride of Telangana", he has taken great
strides in the fields of sustainable agriculture, scalable
reforestation and last-mile medical delivery.

His ability to find innovative and technical solutions to society’s problems, unfailing approachability, innate charm and genuine empathy has made him an icon in Telangana’s start-up ecosystem. Listed under Forbes’ The 30 Under 30 Asia list, Marut Drones was incubated in T-Hub, and mentored by IIIT Hyderabad and RICH. We’ve also won Facebook’s – India Innovation Accelerator Program 2019 in AI for Social Good and Shah Family Global Innovation Lab winners for its 2019 Seed Grant Awards.

An average of 7,25,000 deaths and 9.7 million cases of diseases being reported world over due to mosquitoes each year. In fact, mosquitoes are notorious for being the most deadly animals in the world. The problem is intense in developing countries with most vulnerable populations. Global warming is aggravating issue further. Though problem is growing at a rapid pace, solutions often lagged behind.

Our project provides world’s first comprehensive solution involving mosquito surveillance, effective interventions and vibrant awareness campaigns based on emerging technologies and data based. Further, we are developing AI-backed disease prediction system to strengthen preventive measures. 

Our solution helps eradicate mosquitoes , reduce disease prevalence, increase awareness improving health and socio economic aspects of community. Our disease prediction system helps local authorities of potential disease outbreaks and take necessary precautions. Moreover, our technology reduces manual intervention saving workers from harmful chemicals and create safe working environment.

An average of 7,25,000 deaths across the world are caused by mosquitoes, with 9.7 million cases of vector-borne diseases being reported each year. In fact, mosquitoes are notorious for being the most deadly animals in the world.

The problem is intense in developing countries with most vulnerable populations. Health costs often drain these country’s precious resources slowing their development. On the other hand, people are pushed into poverty and find it hard to fight due to lack of appropriate tools and awareness.  Global warming is aggravating the issue further. As temperatures rise, conditions become more habitable to mosquitoes and they thrive spreading diseases further.

Though problem is growing at a rapid pace , solutions followed often lag behind. Advancements in disease surveillance mechanisms are lacking. Interventions are often manual taking huge time and becoming ineffective in the process. And absence of system to monitor intervention activities and their effectiveness do not help much. Manual chemical based interventions further create a threat to worker’s health. Community awareness also meager . All these makes the activities of government inefficient, ineffective and do not show proper results. Our project addresses these issues creating a technology backed comprehensive solution for reducing vector borne diseases

Marut ZAP the world’s first commercially available mosquito eradication and AI-backed disease prediction system. It is a comprehensive solution involving mosquito surveillance, effective interventions and vibrant awareness campaigns based on emerging technologies and data based.

ZAP platform based on our mosquito IoT sensor creates mosquito maps by location, gender, species and subspecies and offers real-time reports to identify high and low risk areas using predictive analytics for diseases like malaria, dengue and chikungunya. It issue critical alerts on emergency situations and disease outbreaks, facilitating intervention programs.

 Intervention mechanisms are backed by AI powered customized drones and GPS tagged thermal fogging systems. Drones spray bio larvicide on lakes which are a major breeding habitats for mosquito larvae. This initiative allows coverage of 6.7 hectares a day, compared to 300 man-days accruing cost by 1/15th saving time, costs and enhanced effectiveness. Also it will prevent harmful chemical effects on sprayers. Further, GPS tagged thermal foggers ensure effective supervision of activities. Our platform analyses effectiveness of interventions and makes recommendations so strengthen interventions.

Data can also be leveraged to work with local communities and conduct appropriate awareness campaigns. Overall, ZAP platform creates a comprehensive vector borne disease control mechanism.

The problem is extremely intense in developing countries with most vulnerable populations. Health costs often drain these country’s precious resources slowing their development. People often find  themselves with lack of appropriate tools and awareness to fight these diseases. In effect, health problems impact their work productivity, increase their health costs and often push them back into poverty. So, the people in developing and less developed countries are the ones we are primarily serving now.

In addition, we also work to solve the problems of other stakeholders including local authorities, NGOs, manual workers etc. We engage with them on a regular basis understanding their issues and analyzing the impact of our solution. In fact involvement of all these stakeholders is a critical component of our solution. They are engaged in all our activities from interventions to awareness campaigns.

Our project reduces vector borne diseases and improves health of people reducing health costs and eliminating associating financial risks. Government/ Local authorities due to efficiency of solution can have wide impact on socioeconomic outcomes and use their scarce resources objectively. NGOs and civil society can do meaning work due to focused awareness campaigns. Solution creates a Win Win situation for everyone involved.

Hailing from a small village in Telangana, Prem Vislawath isn’t new to mosquito menace in India. When Prem approached local authorities to aid his hometown combat this menace, they shared information about redundant methods followed and in turn asked him, an IIT alum, to find a solution. Thus began the inception of Marut Drones, India's first drone technology developed to eradicate mosquito larvae and water hyacinth on lakes.

An idea that popped up due to the need of his housing community and the lack of solutions at the hands of the local authorities led Prem to explore the situation across the country and that led to the inception of Marut Drones with the help of his IIT alumni batchmates, Suraj Peddi and Sai Kumar Chinthala; in the month of April, 2019.

Trio of founders deep dived into problem and understood that solution should not only be tech backed but also acceptable to all stakeholders creating a participative environment for them. This formed the basis of solution involving various stakeholders and activities from IoT based sensing to NGO powered community awareness.

In simple words, vector borne diseases creates havoc in geography, community we live in. We have seen many people suffering from these diseases and they are recurring each and every year.

 India being a tropical country combined with greenery, stagnant water bodies, huge population is a breeding ground for mosquitoes. These diseases have the potential to flip the lives of people whose earning are meager creating a life and death situation for them. As India has 2/3rd of population ie., nearly 80 crores below poverty line, imagine the kind of havos these health issues can create.

Despite best governmental efforts, outcomes are often lagging. Though we have seen technological advances in many fields, this problem is often ignored and slow progress. And the involvement of various stakeholders increases complexities. So, no one may solve it if we don’t.

So, the impact our project has on lives of all these people is huge motivation for us to work on this problem.

Being from technological background that too from one of the best engineering colleges in India, me along with founding team is well placed to handle the technical aspects of the project. Further having founded and run a media company earlier, I am good at overall business aspects including operations, partnerships building, negotiations, team management etc.

These are much needed in the project as it involves understanding scientific aspects from various fields including entomology, health care, drones, IoT sensors, electronics, manufacturing etc. Further project also needed to bring together various stakeholders like academic/research institutions, government, local authorities, civil society, NGOs etc. So, partnerships building and managing continuous relations is a basis for the project. On top, there is necessity for frugality , financial control and huge operations handling. Owing to these, me along with founding team I think are best placed to work on the project.

Entomology work is with state and local govt access and network and gave pilots with them and making them to adopt was a challenge. 

We demonstrated and engaged with local municipal corporation and government officials and appointed a committee to understand, we have worked more than one year and now they have adopted it after looking at the impact and saving lives. 

To understand the problem and challenges interacted with all the field workers and supervisors and started helping them to overcome from the health issues. 

I have been co-organizer for  TEDxHyderabad and Blood donation camps from 5 years in Hyderabad. 

COVID time have been working closely with frontline workers and helping migrant labours.

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Comprehensiveness , scientific backed solution makes our project innovative.We are disrupting the way existing system works completely in dealing with vector borne diseases. Our IoT sensors and AI powered drones are world’s first in tackling mosquito related issues. AI based disease prediction algorithms we are developing has potential to transform disease handling systems completely and strengthen focus on preventive aspects rather than reactive interventions.

And our way of bringing all stakeholders together ensuring cooperative working is another innovative aspect increasing acceptance of solution and wider impact. 

• Effective management of mosquito control

• Optimizing spray and reducing cost

• Lower impact of vector borne diseases

• Lower burden on vector control and health departments

• Better management of the impact on local economies

• Lower pesticide exposure to humans and environment 

Our project currently serve nearly 1 crore people in Hyderabad and surroundings. 

We intend to serve 3 crore people adding 2 other metro cities from India in our operations.

In 5 years, we expect to cater to nearly 30 crores population across 40 cities in India. 

We plan to expand to 2 other cities next year and 40 cities across India in 5 years. In the process, we also work on our platform strengthening our technology for better surveillance, interventions and awareness activities.

Financial: Availability of capital for technology enhancements and operations expansion.

Technical: Lack of availability of accurate disease incidence data and gaps in hospitals infrastructure for sharing this data. Further partnerships with research institutes and technological manpower needed for product enhancements.

Market barriers: Differing processes and regulations among city governments in India creating hurdles and slowing acceptance of solution. 

Access to local state governments

Financial: We are in process of raising investments

Technical: Working with government to make accurate disease data available. Also exploring partnerships with various research institutes for cross domain expertise. 

Market barriers: Building long term relations with local authorities and demonstrating effectiveness of solution for acceptability 

1.Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation(GHMC): Primary stakeholder in development of our solution from requirements to execution. We are currently working with GHMC across 1250 hectares of lakes in and around Hyderabad in India.

2.Research and Innovation Circle of Hyderabad(RICH): Supporting us with valuable experience in building partnerships and moving through government policies.

3.Technology Hub (T-HUB) Based out of Hyderabad. Incubation and networking support required for startups.

State Govt’s | Presently working with Telangana Govt and Assam State Smart City

CSR Foundations, Gated Communities, Campuses, Corporate Companies, Roads etc. 

We are working with State Govt and CSR Foundations

CSR Foundations, Gated Communities, Campuses, Corporate Companies, Roads etc. 

CSR Foundations like Gates foundation

Financial barrier: The prize amount of elevate prize is invaluable. Further it gives exposure to top investors and networking opportunities will be great.

Technology barrier: As our solution requires cross domain expertise, we need critical research experience in multiple sector. Elevate prize helps us connect with MIT and other research institutes which can help us in understanding technology advancements in the field better and apply them in real world.

Market barriers: Elevate prize may give exposure to international organisations like UN, WHO and NGOs. These partnerships can help us better in establishing relations with various government authorities as it adds more credibility and can utilise the rich experience they have in the field. 

SGD 3- Good Health and Well-Being

Vector borne diseases impact overall health of society. Mosquito breeding control using improved technologies developed by the research institutes in the city, can reduce the mosquito menace, which will in turn reduce the incidence of vector borne diseases.

SDG 9 Industry Innovation and Infrastructure

Development of IoT device for monitoring adult mosquitoes, developing hyper spectral imaging protocol for monitoring mosquito larvae and use of a cost-effective bio-larvicides

SDG 17 Partnerships for the Goals

Multi-dimensional approach followed in the project, has led to involvement of Research organisations, Government agencies, NGOs, Individual Scientists and Entrepreneurs. 

Gates foundation

Since they are working towards malaria from years