We all have neighbors who could use one of these.
Snowbotix has developed a self-driving snow removal robot, and is in the process of building partnerships to run large-scale pilot projects this winter.
The company’s founder and president, Sasi Prabhakaran, recently moved from Syracuse to Buffalo where he will begin to build out the company. Prabhakaran is acting as the interim CEO as well.
The tech behind Snowbotix came out of Akrobotix, the Syracuse-based laboratory that uses federal funding to do research and development. That team has put several years of work into the autonomous, all-electric robots that are designed to ensure clear sidewalks.
They are built to augment crews in municipalities, airports and universities.
Prabhakaran, who recently moved into East Amherst and is searching for office space, said that once the robots are fully commercialized, commercial snow removal contractors will be the target customer.
“We have been developing our product for the last couple of years with all the systems and subsystems,” he said. "This season we are looking for partners to do pilot testing, and next year we will be going into full production.”
Snowbotix was preparing to launch in Toronto before the pandemic struck, and is working with city officials there to resume the project. Its snow removal robots will be deployed this winter in downtown Syracuse and at Denver International Airport.
Prabhakaran moved the company’s headquarters to Western New York because of its proximity to Canada – a major potential market – and because the lake effect snow here is ideal for testing the robots.
There is also the symbolic power of a snow removal startup in Buffalo, with its national reputation for major winter storms.
Prabhakaran is in conversations with a few potential Buffalo-based partners to do pilot projects this winter, and is looking for others.
“There’s an extended snow season here as well,” he said. “It will be good to operate from Buffalo.”
