Yuki-taro Autonomous Snowplow/Ice Pooper Robot

The Japanese are well known for crafting useful robots to do the dirty work for humans who'd rather park it at home, and the Yuki-taro autonomous snowplow is just another example of machines taking care of the business people can't (or won't).

Enter Yuki-Taro, an autonomous snowplow that gathers up sidewalk snow and converts it into small, manageable ice blocks that it deposits behind itself as it goes.

That's right boys and girls -- it eats snow and poops ice.

Created by a consortium of private companies, municipal governments and university researchers, Yuki-taro is equipped with two video cameras in his "eyes" as well as a GPS tracking system to be completely self-guided.

More Info:

http://www.pinktentacle.com/2007/02/yuki-taro-autonomous-snowplow-robot/

http://highlyrecommended.blogspot.com/2007/02/yuki-taro.html

Thanks to visibleO

All Time 50 Best Robots

Last Year Wired put out there list of 50 Best Robots. I not sure what criteria they used to generate and rank this list, but it’s a sure bet that you will not guess #1

Here are some favorite bots and their rankings.

#19. R2-D2
R2-D2 and C-3PO - the Abbott and Costello of space - may be the most popular robots in history, but it's the littler one that really steals the show.

#04. ROBBY THE ROBOT
Few robots can trace their origins to Shakespeare. Robby, from the 1956 film Forbidden Planet, was inspired by Ariel in The Tempest

#03. SPIRIT AND OPPORTUNITY
Some robots sit in labs for researchers to tinker with. These two bots are on frickin' Mars

See the whole list go to Wired Best Bots