​​You've Seen Robotic Vacuums: Now Get Ready For Robotic Snow Blowers

The days of shoveling snow with a traditional shovel may be coming to an end, but only for those who have some cash to spare for a robotic snow blower. Because yes, they now exist. Enter the Yarbo Snow Blower, the first-ever robotic snow blower that tackles the job of snow removal on your driveway, yard, and sidewalk, all while you enjoy the warmth of the indoors. Yarbo sells the system in two parts: the Yarbo Core and the Snow Blower Module. It can handle dry, packed, or wet snow and uses dual antennas for precise navigation. It's built for extreme cold, with the capability of running in temperatures as low as -40°C thanks to its internal heating modules. It automatically recharges itself when the battery is low, has three cameras and seven ultrasonic radars, and uses AI algorithms to maneuver your yard and even navigate over irregular surfaces. The machine runs on a lithium-ion battery and takes about an hour and a half to charge from 20% to 80%, per the company's website. These are all pretty great features.

It does have some limitations, though. For instance, this robotic snow blower can only maneuver through up to 5 inches of snow and can handle roughly 6,000 square feet at 1 inch of depth before needing to return to its charging dock (the deeper the snow, the less area it can cover on a single charge). The major catch is that you're going to be dishing out some big bucks for this thing — we're talking the price of a new motorcycle.

Yarbo is currently the only robotic snow blower on the market, so it has the space to set its own price. The Yarbo Core, the machine's base, costs $5,000 — the Snow Blower Module tacks on another $2,000. So, altogether, you're looking at around $7,000 for a high-tech machine that will take the burden of snow shoveling off your hands. While it's especially useful for older adults and people with disabilities, it's also convenient if you live in an area where you're required to clear the snow from sidewalks in front of your home.

But is that convenience actually worth the price? According to some reviewers, the answer is yes. One user over on Reddit wrote about his experience with the product over a 4-month span, writing, "I don't think I'll ever fully 'set and forget' it, because weather and environments are unpredictable. But I'm now at the point where I'd rate the autonomy 8 out of 10 — pretty great, all things considered."

That said, there are some negative reviews — one user on the Yarbo Reddit made a post complaining that his yard (at around 10,000 square feet) was too big for his unit to cover without lengthy battery charging breaks. That, and the product's surprisingly heavy weight (nearly 230 pounds), means that it's not going to be a magic solution for every interested buyer. But if you have the budget to spare, it seems like it's one way to lessen time spent shoveling snow in the winter.