Ariens Autonomous Snowplow
Problem statement
Nobody likes waking up at dawn to shovel snow so they can get out of their driveway and go to work. Imagine if you could just wake up, open your garage, and send out your snowplow to do the job by itself. Autonomous technology has developed to the point where this could soon be possible. Greenzie, for example, is a software company that modifies lawnmowers with autonomous capabilities, except it costs up to $10,000 a month and isn’t yet applicable to snow removal. Yarbo produces autonomous snowblowers, yet as a snowblower, it has limitations such as chute clogs and safety concerns that throwing snow, ice, and other objects randomly could harm bystanders. Our goal is to develop and build a heavy-duty, safe, and stand-alone snowplow that proves its capabilities by winning the Autonomous Snowplow Competition in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Team members
Sam Karcher – leader
Marcus Thelen – communicator
Nicholas Fox – accountant
Tyler Strausbaugh – admin
Client
Ariens