Home Gadgets, Robot Gadgets
I-Shovel, the Automated Snow Shoveler
Sure, everybody loves the Roomba, that lovable little iRobot device that can vacuum a room all by its automated bad self, so it is only logical that someone would create the I-Shovel, an automated robot snow-shovel.
Somehow, the I-Shovel has special sensors which can detect how much snow has fallen in a given area. Once it somehow realizes that there is enough snow to be shoveled, it starts to work and moves the snow around. The battery has enough power for about 4,000 square feet of shoveling, which is more than enough for an average driveway.
Sadly, this I-Shovel tech is still patent-pending, so the I-Shovel is merely a prototype at this point. I can see a few bugs that might need to be worked out. For example, how does the I-Shovel know where to put the snow? I mean, I can’t stand it when the snowplow comes down my street and gathers the snow he’s pushed together in a bundle that blocks my car. If the person driving the snowplow is capable of such a mistake, then who knows what a machine is capable of.
Still, the makers of the I-Shovel are definitely on the right track. After all, who likes to shovel their driveway? If I could get some cold heartless machine to go out into the cold heartless outdoors, I’m game.
2 Comments
crlwllns Says: December 29, 2009 at 7:03 pm
Maybe, the ‘I-Shovel’ needs a ‘green laser’ to melt the snow 1st! Then possibly, a ’salt spray over’ the melted snow, to keep it from ‘re-freezing back to ice’.
(Hmmmm,or maybe even a ’spray of ‘jack daniels”?!?)

j Williams Says: January 27, 2009 at 2:00 pm
I want it, and I don’t care where it shoves the snow!!