Teleo, a company building autonomous technology for heavy construction equipment, and Storm Equipment, one of the largest distributors of commercial snow plow equipment, have 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. The machine is designed for mass snow clearing in large open areas such as industrial parking lots. Customers can order the 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, a more comfortable and attractive working environment than a traditional snow plow operator working from the equipment's cab on site. 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, by allowing 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, 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. Utilizing Teleo's game-changing system, the shrinking pool of skilled snow plow operators can cover a lot more ground in a shorter time period.
“With the click of a button, they can move to a different loader and plow on a jobsite across town, or even in a different state. This effectively could quadruple the productivity of a single skilled staff member, creating massive operational efficiencies for the snow contractor. This technology could also open up snow plowing opportunities to those who are not already heavy equipment operators. We like to joke that today's streaming gamers could become tomorrow's remote snow plow operators. Simply put, remote-operated and autonomous snow removal demonstrates undeniable value for contractors looking for the best return on their heavy equipment investments."
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 easily retrofitted on those fleets, introducing the ability to integrate remote and semi-autonomous technology without the need to purchase new machines, according to the company. The same machines can be used year-round for snow removal, landscaping, and other site work. This level of flexibility makes the system extremely 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, Teleo. "When heavy snowfalls occur, there is an immediate need to clear parking lots and commercial sites so businesses can continue operating. We believe we are offering the only remote-operated and autonomous industrial snow plow available in the U.S.
"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; that makes it a realistic solution for companies of all sizes."