If growing up in upstate New York has taught me anything, it's that shoveling snow really, really sucks. The I-Shovel is a new device that promises to automate this task—much like the Roomba and the Husqvarna lawnmower have done for other annoying chores. According to the project website, the I-Shovel can automatically detect snow accumulation and clear the driveway when it deems that the snowfall is significant enough to be cleared.

As for power consumption, the I-Shovel would utilize a rechargeable battery with a solar power option, which would make it eco-friendly and inexpensive to operate. Unfortunately for our friends in cold weather climates, the I-Shovel is currently in a prototype phase—but the designers are actively searching for partnerships to develop the design into a production appliance. Hopefully, they will ditch the ubiquitous "i" monker in favor of something more original before it is released (and the fact that it is a capital "I" doesn't count). [I-Shovel via Communist Robot]

Contact information for this author is not available.