Teleo, a Palo Alto-based company building autonomous technology for heavy construction equipment, and commercial snowplow equipment distributor Storm Equipment have introduced the first remotely operated and autonomous industrial snowplow to be commercially available in the USA.
With support from Teleo dealer RDO Equipment Co., the companies have retrofitted a John Deere 332G skid steer loader with Storm Equipment’s Metal Pless snowplow blade and the Teleo Supervised Autonomy technology, which enables remote and autonomous operations.
The plow is designed for mass snow clearing in large open areas such as industrial parking lots. The retrofit is available for any make and model of heavy equipment, so too an autonomous-ready snowplow blade properly sized for each machine type.
Once outfitted with Teleo’s retrofit kit, the machines can then be supervised by an operator sitting in a central command center. Initially, the snowplows will be remote-operated, with autonomous capabilities added in the first half of 2024.
Jordan Smith, owner of Storm Equipment, said, “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.
“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. We like to joke that today’s streaming gamers could become tomorrow’s remote snowplow operators. Simply put, remote-operated and autonomous snow removal demonstrates undeniable value for contractors looking for the best return on their heavy equipment investments.”
Vinay Shet, co-founder and CEO of Teleo, said, “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; that makes it a realistic solution for companies of all sizes.”
