Development of an Autonomous Robotic Snowplow for Residential Use

Abstract Shoveling driveways and sidewalks on a cold snow day is a very physically demanding task often leading to a wide variety of health issues and injuries for those who shovel or plow the snow. This paper describes the development of a domestic autonomous snowplow, including the design and building of the mechanical structure and drive system, the strategies and algorithms to achieve autonomy, including path planning and position locating, and the analysis and control for expected performance. The robotic snowplow is designed to be able to clear 3–5 inches of snow and operate at 4 mph while lasting up to 4 hours per charge. The snowplow is fully battery-powered, which requires nearly zero maintenance compared to its gasoline counterparts. This also brings benefits such as high reliability, low running cost, zero-emission, and low noise. It is expected that such a snowplow will benefit small homeowners by increasing the quality of their life and reducing the risk of injuries and health issues.