Meet the 'Snobot', a new robotic tool that could help the Rideau Canal Skateway

The National Capital Commission is looking at a new robotic tool to help clear snow from the Rideau Canal Skateway.

Snow acts as an insulator, which affects ice formation. Early in the season, the ice is too thin to support snow-removal teams or heavier equipment, but the "Snobot" could be the solution.

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It's a pilot project between the NCC and Carleton University. The goal is to be able to open the Rideau Canal Skateway sooner. The lightweight robot could be used to remove early blankets of snow, allowing the ice to freeze.

It hasn't been tested on the canal yet, but the NCC hopes it will be another tool in its arsenal.

"At this stage, it's more about data collection, more about the operation of the Snobot to get a better understanding of how the machinery will perform," said Carleton University civil and environmental engineering professor Shawn Kenny. "So, the volume of snow it can remove, how the batteries effectively operate under different environmental conditions."

Monday was the first day the Snobot was demonstrated outside the university. 

"It feels real good to see it working," said research assistant Siri Konakalla.

A four-year partnership with Carleton University began in 2022. The first two years have been about gathering data, using temperature sensors, drones and remote-sensing tools, the NCC says. This year, the NCC and Carleton University will develop models to project or predict what will happen next.

"We will also explore solutions to lessen the impacts of climate change on the Skateway, and build the resilience of the ice," the NCC said on its website.

Getting rid of snow on the canal requires a lot of work. The NCC says that for every centimetre of snowfall, its crews move almost 125,000 kilograms of snow from the Skateway, or roughly 25,000 shovelfuls. 

The red flag is flying along the canal this week after freezing rain and warmer weather weakened the ice. A stretch of the skateway was opened briefly last week before temperatures rose.

"Right now, the ice is pretty soft. It's porous," said NCC senior manager of facilities and programs Bruce Devine. "We need to wait until it gets hard again before doing any kind of operations on it."

Milder winters are leading to shorter skating seasons or, in the case of last year, no skating season at all.

There is hope that colder temperatures are around the corner, enough to get the ice ready for Winterlude.

The current forecast from Environment Canada calls for a low of -10 C overnight and a high of -5 C on Tuesday. Some low temperatures around -10 to -12 C are in the forecast for the weekend. 

--With files from CTV News Ottawa's Jackie Perez.