The snowstorms, blizzards and freezing temperatures of winter 2011 have been call to arms for the technologically savvy. All the inches of snow have got scientists and inventors thinking up new ways to get rid of it all. The ideas that follow are not all operational on a commercial level, but what they do all have in common is a desire to beat the winter blues in any way possible.
- Snow explosions: Crews in a ski town in California have decided the best way to counter snow overflow is to blow it up! Armed with bombs, the crew finds areas prone to avalanches and sets up an explosion to initiate it. While this system is not practical for everyday citizens, it’s an interesting way of thinking about snow removal in large quantities.
- Robot snow eaters: Only in Japan would there be an invention of such oddity. Called Yuki-Taro, the bright-yellow robot plows snow on its own. Instead of pushing the snow to the side, however, the robot “swallows” the snow and renders it into ice blocks that come out its rear end.
- Monster snow blowers: In places such as Canada and Norway, snow is more than just a little problem. Recently in Norway, a 2,000-horsepower blower about the size of a small elephant can remove 10,000 pounds of snow and ice in an hour.
- Bike plows: If you’re handy with tools and you’re sick of using a shovel, creating a Frankensteinian version of a bike plow might save you some hassle. Citizen Craig Smith did just that, designing a tricycle mountain bike with a wooden plow attached to the frame. You know what they say, desperate times call for desperate measures.