# University of Minnesota senior shows off snow-clearing robot

## By Jason Rantala

### Updated on: March 6, 2025 / 6:35 AM CST / CBS Minnesota





By the end of Wednesday morning, nearly  had fallen in the Twin Cities.

It was the perfect test for the latest version of University of Minnesota senior Max Minakov's 

Last year, Minakov showed WCCO how his Roomba-sized bot could clear driveways. This year, Nivoso had a bit of a glow up.

"I was almost surprised myself with how good of a job it did," Minakov said.

The robot was designed in Minakov's parents' shed and built with the help of some parts built overseas.

The robot is steered with a controller and can be steered from inside a vehicle.

Nivoso is now officially earning its keep. Minakov has two robots that have now gained commercial and residential contract work clearing snow.

"We've also been working through our first three purchase orders right now across the U.S. for these units, and have over $1 million in letters of intent signed for units just like this to be released in the coming year," Minakov said.

Minakov is set to graduate from the university in May and hopes to make Nivoso his full-time gig right out of school.

He's now fundraising for financial help to get units manufactured and out the door.

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Jason Rantala joined WCCO as a reporter in June 2023. He's a Minnesota native and is thrilled to be telling the stories of those in his hometown.

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