Winter brings beauty—and slippery sidewalks. Enter Ice Beat‑Le, a savvy six-wheel rover built to tackle icy paths without human help. Designed by Thomas Vikström, this compact machine automatically spreads salt or sand along your driveway, guided by an infrared beacon to ensure safe walking or driving in freezing conditions.
The robot uses a Particle Photon 2 (also known as Photon 2) at its core, handling movement, wheel control, and beacon tracking. Powered by a robust Dagu Wild Thumper 6WD chassis, it can haul the weight of a small salt reservoir while cruising over snowy patches. Two Parallax HB-25 motor controllers drive the powerful DC motors, while dual IR receivers act as the rover’s eyes, homing in on the beacon’s infrared signal.
What’s especially clever is how Ice Beat‑Le navigates autonomously. You place an IR beacon—handled by a Parallax Propeller board—ahead of it, and the rover detects the beacon signal through its IR receivers. This setup allows the rover to follow a path precisely and dispense material evenly as it moves. Everything is controlled wirelessly, so you aren’t tethered to cables or manual guidance.
Beyond the hardware, the project blends mechanical and electronics skills: from 3D-designed parts for mounting components to wiring schematics for power control and IR interfacing. The firmware runs on the Particle ecosystem, meaning OTA updates and easy deployment. It’s an excellent mix of mechanics, embedded programming, and remote sensing—all rolled into a practical solution for winter safety hackster.io+.
This rover is more than a novelty; it’s a helpful winter companion. Ideal for anyone living in cold climates, Ice Beat‑Le can be enhanced with features like GPS navigation, solar charging, or even camera-based ice detection. It’s compact and astonishingly effective—transforming a chore into a fun, hands-on build.
Whether you’re an advanced hobbyist wanting a real-world outdoor robotics challenge—or a STEM instructor looking to teach autonomous systems—this project is packed with possibilities. With every part open-source and built with off-the-shelf components, Ice Beat‑Le is not just a project—it’s a platform for winter automation innovation. Click here to view the full project ➜
