Tag Archives: snowplow

Autonomous Snowplow Robots Compete for Snow-clearing Supremacy

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I’ve been through enough harsh winters to know that a snowplowing robot is a great idea. An even better idea is an autonomous snowplowing robot competition to see which bot can clear the most snow. My only question is where can I get one for my driveway?


At the ION Autonomous Snowplow Competition, teams build autonomous robots that fight to clear the most snow from a designated area. But they have to do it without any human intervention at all. The event is an annual thing in St. Paul, Minnesota.

Every year the top engineers get together and face off to see whose unmanned snowplowing robot is the best at clearing the white stuff. Check out all the robot action in the video.

I have to get one of these for my house.

[via Motherboard via Laughing Squid]

Rechargeable Cordless Snowblower

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cordless snowblower
It’s the world’s first (and currently only) rechargeable battery powered snowblower. Finally! It eliminates all the stuff you dislike about snowblowers: loud noise, pull cords, gas, oil, tune-ups, carbon emissions and tangled extension cords. Of course it still has the one feature you most like about snowblowers: it clears a path in the snow quickly and with minimal effort.
cordless snowblower battery
The Snow Joe iON18SB Ion Cordless Single Stage Brushless Snow Blower has a 40v lithium-ion battery that will give you about 45 minutes of whisper-quiet run time. If you need more time than that, you’re either moving too slow or it’s time to invest in a plow (additional batteries are available to purchase too, should your fiefdom require it). The battery comes out so you can recharge it in just 3 hours with an included AC adapter. An LCD screen displays the battery life remaining.
rechargable snowblower light
Nighttime snow clearing? No problem- it has a bright LED headlight. Starting the snow thrower is as easy as pushing a button. It can handle 10″ high drifts and clears an 18″ wide path with each pass. The rotor is made of steel to plow through ice and heavy wet snow but it’s blades have rubber edges to protect pavers or deck boards.
battery powered snowblower in action
The chute rotates 180 degrees and throws snow up to 20′ away to get it just where you want it. The Snow Joe weighs just over 30 pounds so it’s not too difficult to lift it up the stairs to your deck or walkway. Go cordless this Winter!
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Rechargeable Cordless Snowblower
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Plow or Snow Blow Your Driveway without Going Outside

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We have robots that can do annoying chores for us right now. You can buy robots that vacuum for you, gutter-cleaning robots, pool cleaning robots, mopping robots, lawn-mowing robots and I’m sure there are many more. Obviously, there are some things that don’t exist yet, on account of liability, like hedge trimming robots, but why don’t we have a snow shoveling, plowing, or blowing robot?

snow_blower_robotzoom in

Well, it’s more of an R/C truck than a robot, but this Kickstarter campaign from SuperDroid Robots promises to fix that arse-freezingly cold problem. Rather than having a back spasm or a heart attack by exerting yourself when it’s -10 degrees outside, sit indoors in a robe and slippers holding a controller and direct this bot.

snow_plow_robotzoom in

That luxury doesn’t come cheap though. A DIY plow kit will run you $5,700 and a DIY blower will cost $6,200. Fully assembled versions are $7,200 and $8,500, respectively. For $2,000 you can fly to South Carolina and shoot the owners of their company with a paintball robot they made, and under that there’s a variety of double entendre tees with phrases like “Get Blown Remotely.” You could wear that under your jacket while shoveling the driveway.

Remote-controlled Snow Plow Robot Will Also Plow Through Your Savings

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This robot fights the winter blues. A company called SuperDroid makes large remote-controlled snow plow robots. Use them to clear your front yard, push your cat back to your house, destroy your neighbor’s snowman and more from the warmth and safety of your home.

remote controlled snow plow robot by superdroid 620x474magnify

The robot has six 13″ tiller tires, each powered by a 24V motor. Its 52″ x 16″ snow plow blade is raised and lowered with the help of an air compressor.

Watch the robot do what it does best:

Unfortunately, it does require a remote operator, and isn’t autonomous. SuperDroid can also install additional batteries, chains for the wheels and cameras on the robot. They can even make it work over the Internet so you can control it even if you’re on another continent. But you may not want any of those add-ons once you hear the robot’s basic price. Each one costs an ice cold $7,900 (USD). Dig your browser out of the snow and head to SuperDroid if you’re packing that much paper.

[via Gadgetify]