Snow Robot Technology Is Here! Jobs In Ironwood Possible?

 

What's black and yellow; five feet long; 2 1/2 feet tall; 2-1/2 feet wide; eats snow; and leaves a trail of ice blocks in its path?

It's called the Yuki-Taro. "Yuki" is snow in Japanese and Taro is a common boy's name in Japan so a rough translation of the name could be "SnowBob," "SnowJoe" or "SnowBoy!"

Created by the Nedo Company out of Kanagawa, Japan, the Yuki-Taro is a completely automated, robotic snow removal system. It features two video cameras for "sight," a microprocessor is the "brains" of the operation; and a built-in GPS system to guide it.

The prototype gobbles up snow at a surprising rate. The snow is then compacted into ice blocks that neatly stack in the back of the machine. There's a built-in fork lift mechanism in the back that places stacks of compacted snow/ice neatly on the sides of the street, drive or walkway. The way it handles the compacted snow can easily be programmed to place it wherever it is the most convenient.

After seeing a video on the product on Yahoo! News, I found the company's website and gathered their contact information. I sent the Nedo Company information about Ironwood, and asked if they had any interest in possibly locating a manufacturing, testing, and research & development facility here. I will attempt to call and fax them later. I will try to contact them again via telephone and fax as well as through the mail.

The photos included in this article were taken from a press release issued on Nedo's promotional site.

Jim Albert