We’ve been getting slammed with snow up here in Maine this winter. It’s been a record year for the white stuff and there’s a good three feet plus lying on the ground, even after after a day of warm temperatures and rain knocked a foot off the top a few weeks ago. Driving around town makes me feel like I’m in Telluride or Steamboat Springs with all the giant drifts and banks. There are massive mountains of stacked snow in the grocery store parking lots and I haven’t had to work out at the gym due to how much snow shoveling I’ve had to do.

While I appreciate the boosted arm ripples from the extra work, I would much rather have the Robot Snowplow out there scooping out the driveway.

The Yuki-taro is a self-guided, GPS and camera driven Japanese robot that compresses the scooped up snow and turns it into compact ice blocks. The first version is a prototype, a retail ‘bot is expected to be available within five years for ~$9,000. That’s a bit steep for the average family, but I can imagine towns and cities scooping these up and it’s definitely in range for the rich set.

Link [Pink Tentacle] via Inventor Spot