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This Autonomous Snow Blower Shovels on its Own, Recharges Itself, and Keeps Going (www.carsandhorsepower.com)
submitted 6 months ago by to c/technology@lemmy.world
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[–] 14 points 6 months ago* (last edited 6 months ago) (3 children)

It also runs over children and small animals indiscriminately! Not one mention of safety features in the entire article is concerning.

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  • [–] 10 points 6 months ago (4 children)

    If you go the the manufacturers website it mentions several safety systems; radar, camera and a physical bumper and grate to keep things from getting into the machine

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  • [–] 16 points 6 months ago

    radar, camera

    Translation: Does not function without active internet connection. Reports telemetry (including photos and video) of your personal property which is then sold and used for "marketing" surveilance purposes. Records when not in use/charging. If not already, volunteers all data to FLOCK

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  • [–] 5 points 6 months ago (2 children)

    Radar & camera can be degraded by snow/ice buildup. A grate that lets wet snow in is also going to be big enough to let rocks and other debris in.

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  • [–] 7 points 6 months ago (1 child)

    A grate that lets wet snow in is also going to be big enough to let rocks and other debris in.

    But not kids and pets at leaat

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  • [–] 4 points 6 months ago (1 child)

    Arms and legs allowed in are still really bad. You can't run fast in snow, and you are more likely to trip.

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  • [–] 3 points 6 months ago (2 children)

    There's like a 1" gap in the grate and at least 3-4" from there to any moving parts. Yes, a toddler can stick their arms in there, but if that happens it will be predominantly due to horrible parenting.

    It obviously isn't 100% hazard free, it's a motorized power tool after all, but it does seem to have proper mitigations in place to reduce risk of injury to a reasonable level.

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  • [–] 2 points 6 months ago

    The camera is heated so that should not be the biggest problem. I don't think they have the software to make it work.

    I have not had obstacle detection work on the other modules aside from a person being nearby being detected. With that feature you will not see it working from close by, but it will destroy children's toys, drive over poop, destroy its own antennas by driving under tables, drive against tractors, ...

    It could be capable one day but not with this software (team).

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  • [–] 4 points 6 months ago (1 child)

    it mentions several safety systems; radar, camera and a physical bumper and grate to keep things from getting into the machine

    There were 1,429 Waymo accidents reported to the NHTSA between July 2021 and November 2025. Injuries and Fatalities: There have been 117 injuries and 2 fatalities reported in relation to these accidents.

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  • [–] 2 points 6 months ago

    There are not really any similarities to the environment and use case of autonomous cars driving in open public roads, at high speeds, in a several thousand pound heavy vehicle, with thousands of other people acting in random unpredictable ways, and a 50 pound snow blower driving at walking pace in your own private closed driveway with basically no one in the area of operation.

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  • [–] 2 points 6 months ago (1 child)

    I watched a review of this thing and the guy had to hide in some bushes to film it because it would shut off every time he got near it. That being said, it required a lot of configuration and didn't work too well.

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