Yuki-taro autonomous snowplow robot
The harsh winter in Niigata, Japan brings heavy snow, which can pose problems for residents — particularly the elderly — who are faced with the laborious task of clearing it from driveways and entrances. To the rescue comes Yuki-taro, an autonomous snowplow robot developed by a team of researchers from five Niigata-area organizations.
The friendly-looking Yuki-taro measures 160 x 95 x 75 cm (63 x 37 x 30 in.) and weighs 400 kg (880 lbs). Armed with GPS and a pair of video cameras embedded in its eyes, the self-guided robot seeks out snow and gobbles it up into its large mouth. Yuki-taro’s insides consist of a system that compresses the snow into hard blocks measuring 60 x 30 x 15 cm (24 x 12 x 6 in.), which Yuki-taro expels from its rear end. The blocks can then be stacked and stored until summer, when they can be used as an alternative source of refrigeration or cooling.
Yuki-taro is the result of nearly seven years of work by researchers from the Niigata Industrial Creation Organization (NICO), Research and Development, Inc. (RDI), Niigata Institute of Technology, Yamagata University and the Industrial Research Institute of Niigata Prefecture (IRI), who set out to design an environmentally-friendly robot that can operate by itself and support the elderly. In 2006, Yuki-taro received a Good Design Award in the small-to-medium sized enterprise category.
Researchers continue to work on reducing Yuki-taro’s size, weight and cost, and they hope to make it commercially available in five years at a price of less than 1 million yen ($8,300). It is unclear whether or not the researchers intend to further enhance the robot’s “cute” factor, but they might ought to consider attaching a pair of pointy ears. O-negai!
[Sources: Asahi]
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[…] Japan’s autonomous snowplow robot, has GPS and two cameras by DJ Neawedde February 8th, 2007 in Robotics. Tags: Robotics. Live from Niigata, Japan (well, not really live, but…), we bring you Yuki-taro - an autonomous snowplow robot created by a team of researchers from five Niigata-area organizations.This 880 lb snow plowin’ bot features GPS and a pair of video cameras in its eyes. Pink Tentacle says the robot has “a system that compresses the snow into hard blocks measuring 60 x 30 x 15 cm (24 x 12 x 6 in.), which Yuki-taro expels from its rear end.” […]
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[…] HOly cow, this is a tight looking snowplow, but it also runs by itself with on-board GPS and 2 cameras! This is a slight change from the Roomba… […]
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[…] Snow shoveling is very overrated. It’s labor intensive and it forces you to go out into cold when you really don’t feel like it. That is why I personally want the Robotic SnowPlow. The over-sized yellow robot does all the work, ensuring your lazy ass stays nice and warm. From the site: Armed with GPS and a pair of video cameras embedded in its eyes, the self-guided robot seeks out snow and gobbles it up into its large mouth. Yuki-taro’s insides consist of a system that compresses the snow into hard blocks measuring 60 x 30 x 15 cm (24 x 12 x 6 in.), which Yuki-taro expels from its rear end. […]
Very cool, when can we get one??
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[…] Amazing. Now if we just had enough snow to warrant having one of these puppies around. […]
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[…] Fuente: PinkTentacle Etiquetas:japon robot Archivado en: Blog | Etiquetas: japon, robot. […]
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[…] Pink Tentacle: Yuki-taro Autonomous Snowplow Robot […]
[…] www.pinktentacle.com via www.ichigo.se/noterat […]
[…] Only the Japanese could find something kawaii in a machine so utilitarian as a snowplow. Not only that, but the “Yuki-taro” combines the country’s cuteness fetish with another national obsession–robots. […]
[…] this snow-eating, ice-pooping yuki-taro robot is the radness. it’s one of the few times that i wished i lived somewhere that snowed. maybe my sister can buy one for helsinki! (via treehugger) […]
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[…] […]
[…] Nieko taip nelaukiu, kaip dviejų antraščių Lietuvos laikraščiuose: žiemą - “Žiema užklupo kelininkus netikėtai”, o pavasarį - “Potvynis užklupo Šilutės ūkininkus netikėtai”. Kaip gali netikėtai užklupti tai, kas pažymėta kiekviename kalendoriuje? Bet matyt ne tik Lietuvos kelininkus sniegas varo į neviltį. Štai Japonijoje į pagalbą sustingusių kritulių valytojams sukurtas netgi robotas Yuki-Taro. Jis maitinasi sniegu, suspaudžia jį į nedideles plyteles ir išmeta jas pro savo užpakaliuką. Japonai ketina tas plyteles surinkti, pasidėti saugiai ir naudoti vasarą atsivėsinimui. (Gizmodo, img) […]
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[…] There comes a time when you realize the future is upon us. Now, with the Japanese inventing a robot that eats snow. […]
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[…] Via Pink Tentacle […]
[…] Everyone needs a Yuki-taro autonomous snowplow robot. […]
[…] Artistic Rendering of Future Yuki-Taro innovation […]
[…] Altrettanto giocattolosi ma forse più utili questi singolari spazzaneve ispirati all’arcinoto Pikachu. L’automa si chiama Yuki-taro, pesa 400 kg, è dotata di GPS e di telecamere posizionate negli occhi del Pokemon. Mangia la neve, la comprime e la espelle sottoforma di cubi di 60×30×15 cm. E’ il prodotto di sette anni di lavoro del Niigata Institute of Technology e della Yamagata University. Si spera di lanciarlo sul mercato entro cinque anni. […]
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[…] days, it’ll be some crazy new Japanese invention, a run-away tank in Australia, or Chinese kids propelling themselves across a river to get to […]
[…] mucho desde que el robot de apoyo Yuki-taro ayudó por última vez en las calles de Japón, pero desafortunadamente, ha […]
[…] Pink Tentacle has more details, and also added these cute pointy ears for further realism: […]
Now this is just plain awesome! It showcases the utility and technology of the autonomous mobile robot. I even dedicated an entire web page to Yuki on my website: www.nipperbou.com and it was voted “Coolest Bot” earning the featured robot of the month award. The price should come down substantially if demand exists enough to make enough to spread all those R&D cost over…I Want One. –Owen R Matthews @ www.nipperbou.com
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[…] Yuki-Taro […]
[…] Link […]
[…] from USA Today, Robots entering daily life in Japan. This snowplow robot actually looks quite useful if you lived in a such an area. And then the Brits have this three-foot […]
That is pretty neat. I know some people who could use that.
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