Canada unveils North America's first self-driving snowplow
North America's first autonomous snowplow, named 'Otto,' has been unveiled at Winnipeg Richardson International Airport, and will be used to help clear snow on many areas of the airport's property.
It is likely that the extra help will be gladly welcomed, as the city is known for its exceptionally tough winters, and saw 38.4 cm of snow in February 2019, which was their 11th highest snowfall total for that month on record.
This robotic plow is a result of a partnership with two Manitoba-based companies, Northstar Robotics Inc. and Airport Technologies Inc., and navigates low-risk areas of the airport using 3D LIDAR and RADAR technologies to sense its surroundings and detect obstacles.
Otto is currently programmed to clear snow in predetermined routes, with plow blades controlled at specific settings, and the next steps for this technology include increasing the areas of the airport that Otto can work in.
