VIDEO: Japanese machine sucks snow, s***s bricks
So it's not enough to have a little machine to vacuum our houses. Now the Japanese have invented a machine that sucks the streets clean of snow. Wait, that's not Japanese enough. They've invented a bright yellow robot that clears snow by compressing it into 2-foot-long bricks that it expels out its rear end. Yes, it literally ... you know.
Measuring about 5 feet long and two and a half feet tall, Yuki-taro is an automatic, robotic snowplow developed over the last several years by researchers in Niigata, Japan. The cute little snow-sucker uses cameras and GPS to find its way, and, we assume, the bright yellow paint to warn traffic and pedestrians.
Given a few more years, they hope to have commercial models available for under 1 million yen (under $10,000 U.S.) Watch Yuki-taro in action after the jump.
[Sources: Pink Tentacle, YouTube]
Get a WordPress.com Blog
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Austin M 11:39AM (1/26/2008)
Wall*E
Reply
Benfolio 12:02PM (1/26/2008)
I can see the "pedestrians inhaled by snow machine" lawsuits already.....
Adnan Zafar 6:09PM (1/26/2008)
DUDE, EXACTLY!!!
Douglas 12:12PM (1/26/2008)
Yuki-Taro's last words......
" I no see white poodle in snow.........."
Reply
mikomi 12:25PM (1/26/2008)
Did they invent the machine primarily for the purpose of creating snow bricks for the sole purpose of making the ultimate snow fortress?
Reply
Jake 12:44PM (1/26/2008)
Well obviously. I can't see any other purpose than to make the snow castle to end all snow castles.
mikomi 12:55PM (1/26/2008)
Then I'm sold! But only if they make a version that craps out snowballs for defending the fort.
Dustin 10:29PM (1/27/2008)
I'm sure the first hardware hackers will install linux and install the GNU version of IglooMaker 0.07b
autocorrelation 12:50PM (1/26/2008)
Freaking awesome~
Reply
cc 1:41PM (1/26/2008)
This is totally practical... Niigata gets some of the highest yearly snowfalls in the world.
Reply
Solo Racer 1:24PM (1/26/2008)
"Watch Yuki-taro in action after the jump."
You mean look at still photos of the robot in the AP video. There wasn't any action except shoveling and old-fashioned snow blowers.
Reply
adelossa 1:31PM (1/26/2008)
They should change the bricks to small snowballs. :D
Reply
Brooks 1:48PM (1/26/2008)
You know, if you're going to use a word in your headline, just use it. If you feel the need to censor your own headline, maybe just use a different word? Because this comes across as the worst of both worlds: you're swearing, but you don't have the balls to actually swear.
Reply
chase 3:12PM (1/26/2008)
Confucius say: Yellow bricks are not good for refrigeration
Reply
Dave 4:56PM (1/26/2008)
So it clears the snow...but then leave a trail of frozen bricks in its place.
How does this do any good, other than looking amusing?
Adnan Zafar 6:02PM (1/26/2008)
@ DAVE:
Bricks occupy much less space than a comparable amount of snow in a pile form, you idiot. I hate it when people like you nit-pick and complain rather than applause a practical and ingenious piece of technology.
AZ 6:06PM (1/26/2008)
...because the snow is first compressed, reducing the surface area of the box....and the fact that the snow boxes are stacked,
Pat 10:47PM (1/26/2008)
I can see the city workers going on strike over this ...
Then again, maybe the city can assign them the new task of pickup ice cubes.
Joking aside ... this is pretty cool. I wonder how much snow removal it can really handle and how it can deal with parked cars ...
On the homefront, if they make small and affordable enough to compete with a snowplow, I could finally remove "shovelling" from my list of hobbies ;-)
Reply
Evander O. 12:45AM (1/27/2008)
striking against efficiency... soooo American (nyc in my mind) haha.
global warming 10:51PM (1/27/2008)
Yeah, in five years when this thing hits the market, global warming will have taken away most of its market anyway! I keed of course, but when's the last time we could've used this in NYC?
Reply