Published on: 2026-07-24
Source: Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University –
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Engineers from Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University have successfully tested the fully autonomous snowblower “Object 314.” The specialists tested not just a single prototype, but the entire all-terrain robotic complex under conditions as close as possible to real work in the Arctic zone, at a temperature of −40 °C. This is the next stage of product development before pilot operation and subsequent transition to small-scale production.
Specialists from the scientific and technical team of Polytech Voltage Machine (PVM), based at the Higher School of Transport of the Institute of Mechanical Engineering, Materials and Transport at SPbPU, are working on an autonomous robotic system for snow removal and service tasks at remote industrial sites. The initiative project from the polytechnic team was supported by the federal program “Priority-2030.”
Today, most of the existing automated snow removal solutions on the market are either designed for well-maintained private properties, or require constant manual control, or are not adapted for prolonged use in the conditions of the Far North.
The situation is further exacerbated by the economic factor: performing routine utility operations in the remote northern regions of Russia is associated with high costs due to climate risks, remoteness of sites, and a shortage of personnel. The project by SPbPU engineers aims to optimize these processes: reducing the share of manual labor and transferring repetitive operations to remote and autonomous modes.
The polytechnic development represents a comprehensive solution: in addition to the most frost-resistant, highly maneuverable tracked robot with autonomous navigation, the project includes the entire necessary implementation ecosystem: communication channels, operator workstation, storage and charging bases for the equipment, as well as established training and service processes.
The complex is designed to operate at temperatures down to −40 °C. The maximum drive power is 22 kW, the cruising speed is about 5 km/h, and the estimated operating time is up to 8 hours. For navigation and safety, a 360-degree LiDAR, inertial sensors, satellite positioning, and IP cameras are used; the operator sets the route and monitors the robot’s status via a user interface. The architecture allows for interchangeable attachments (plow, brush, auger-rotor) as well as the possibility to adapt the platform for cargo delivery, patrolling, and other business service tasks.
“In the North, it is not enough to simply build a machine that can travel once through the snow. It is necessary to ensure stable communication, safe navigation, starting after long-term storage in the cold, reparability, and a clear operational procedure for the staff. Our compact tracked platform can independently follow a set route and clear snow, while the operator monitors its work from a warm room. If an obstacle appears on the path or an unusual situation arises, the robot relies on internal safe navigation algorithms, and in critical situations can hand over control to a human. Essentially, one operator gains the ability to control several municipal robots instead of personally handling each one.” — explains the significance of the development, engineer of the Higher School of Transport at the Institute of Mechanical Engineering, Materials and Transport of SPbPU, head of Polytech Voltage Machine, Vsevolod Gayduk.
According to the developers’ calculations, 60 electric robotic complexes will reduce operational snow removal costs by four times per season, and the total savings over an eight-year service life may exceed 1.2 billion rubles depending on operating conditions and the specific deployment site. The economic effect is achieved through reducing the volume of manual and mechanized work, centralizing control, and lowering personnel logistics costs.
The next step for the developers is to accumulate statistics from the trial operation of the snow removal complex and transform the engineering development into a repeatable product for various industrial sites.
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