Teleo, a company building autonomous technology for heavy construction equipment, and Storm Equipment, one of the largest distributors of commercial snow plow equipment, recently introduced the only remote-operated and autonomous industrial snow plow commercially offered in the United States.
With support from Teleo dealer RDO Equipment Co., the companies worked to retrofit a John Deere 332G skid steer loader with Storm Equipment’s Metal Pless snow plow blade and Teleo Supervised Autonomy, Teleo’s technology that enables remote and autonomous operations.
Moving snow with an autonomous vehicle
The machine is designed for mass snow clearing in large open areas such as industrial parking lots. Customers can order a retrofit of any make and model of heavy equipment for remote-operated and autonomous operations from Teleo, along with an autonomous-ready snow plow blade properly sized for each machine type from Storm Equipment.
Once outfitted with Teleo’s retrofit kit, the machines are supervised by an operator sitting in a central command center. The machines are created to help solve staffing shortages in the commercial snow plow industry, where snow contractors are covering larger regions and working long overnight hours. This development allows a single hired operator to work in multiple regions simultaneously. Initially, the snow plows will be remote-operated and autonomous capabilities will be added in the first half of 2024.
“Remote operation of snow plows is a truly disruptive prospect for the industry,” said Jordan Smith, owner of Storm Equipment. “Snow removal companies typically don’t have just one make or model in their fleets, so the fact that Teleo’s technology can be retrofitted onto virtually any make and model of heavy machinery makes it a great option for the industry.”
Autonomous construction opportunities
In March 2023, Teleo expanded its global dealer partner network for autonomous construction equipment. The move also announced several customer deals with construction and materials companies around the United States.
Fleets of machines that are used for applications such as loading gravel, peat moss and other bulk materials in warmer months are used to move snow in the winter months. Teleo’s technology can be retrofitted on those fleets, introducing the ability to integrate remote and semi-autonomous technology without the need to purchase new machines. The same machines can be used year-round for snow removal, landscaping and other site work. This level of flexibility makes the system scalable and cost effective.
“Commercial snow removal, specifically mass snow clearing in large parking lots and on other long stretches of open, flat surfaces, is yet another ideal application for our technology,” said Vinay Shet, co-founder and CEO of Teleo. “When heavy snowfalls occur, there is an immediate need to clear parking lots and commercial sites so businesses can continue operating. … The collaborative Teleo-Storm Equipment approach introduces a way to get the job done more efficiently, safely, and without customers having to purchase new machines,”
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