5 technologies you want during a snowstorm

In full disclosure, I have to admit I’m writing this article from the Sunshine State. But I recently spent a long weekend in New York and I know plenty of people who are impacted by the record snowfall this year, so I did a little research to find some of the best technologies on the market to make lives easier when the snow starts falling. Therefore, Electronic Products brings you the top 5 technologies that will make your life better when you’re snowed in.

Don’t shovel your driveway; there’s an app for that

Who has the desire to shovel snow out of their driveway? For approximately $50, Plowz & Mowz will assign someone to do it for you, and they’ll even give you real-time plowing updates and send a photo of your cleared driveway when the job is complete. Available on iOS and Android, Plowz & Mowz is an on-demand app that is now available in 30 cities nationwide, and growing!

Autonomous snowplows
With all the news coming out of Google, Apple and Volvo regarding self-driving cars, it’s easy to overlook some of the other incredibly useful autonomous vehicles that have existed for some time. In fact, the Institute of Navigation (ION) Satellite Division in Minnesota has hosted the Autonomous Snow Plow Competition for the past five years. The competition aims to challenge students and members of the general public to “design, build, and operate a fully autonomous snowplow to remove snow from a designated path.” While these autonomous plows aren’t commercially available at this point in time, the technology is available and there’s a way to clear routes without anyone having to ever lift a finger. The future is now!

Solar-powered roadways
As one can imagine, the costs associated with clearing roadways following a major snowstorm are astronomical. Costs that arise from the closing of businesses and schools (and the subsequent make-up days), damage to roads and vehicles, and the constant running and upkeep of snow removal equipment have caused many to ponder alternatives. An electrical engineer from Idaho may have come up with the right solution. He’s piqued the interest of GE and the federal government with his proposal for the creation of a solar-powered roadway. Instead of being made of conventional concrete or asphalt, this roadway would actually be comprised of super-strong glass. Much like the defrosting mechanism in the rear window of a car, solar cells inside the roadway’s glass surface would essentially make the road one giant solar power generator, enabling embedded heating elements to shift into high gear when temperatures drop.

AI-driven snow removal
Again, harking back to the millions of dollars spent cleaning up municipalities following heavy snowfall, some people have (correctly) figured there’s got to be a better way. Utilizing artificial intelligence, computers can generate algorithms that help to optimize the efficiency of snow removal, saving some municipalities up to 40% of plowing time. The algorithms take into account factors such as the number of snow removal machines, travel distances, higher versus lower-priority roadways, and existing routes in order to estimate the most efficient use of time and resources. And when you’re stuck at home wondering whether your street is next to be plowed, a 40% increase in plowing efficiency makes a big difference!

A car that provides electricity to your home when the grid goes out
As it turns out, some of the cars hitting the market today are powerful enough to provide energy to your home for up to a week – and that can be a huge benefit should you lose electricity during one of the coldest times of the year. How would it work? Homes could draw power from an electric vehicle or hydrogen fuel cell EV for up to a week’s worth of power. This summer, Toyota’s Mirai is expected to hit the street, and Toyota says “… the 11 pounds of hydrogen stored at 10,000 psi in the two bulletproof carbon fiber tanks equates to enough power to keep a home in the U.S. powered for up to a week.” And while the $57,000 price tag may seem steep, when you consider the costs of purchasing and keeping up with a generator, in addition to the costs associated with purchasing any new car, it just may be worth it.

We’d love to hear from you about some of your must-have winter tech gear. Leave a comment below with more details or suggestions so others can benefit from your snowed-in wisdom.

Via Washington Post and CNN