01.jpgAt the present moment, much of north-eastern North America is buried under one of the biggest snowfalls to hit in over 50 years. Much to the chagrin of home-owners throughout the region, that means a whole lotof shoveling. While it might not require a huge amount of energy to shovel one’s sidewalk – in fact, sometimes it can be kind of invigorating – it’s the bending and lifting that really makes it unpleasant. Various ergonomic shovels have been invented over the years to address this issue, such as the wheeled Sno Wovel. A simpler product is now available, however, in the form of the SnowBow.
When it comes down to it, the SnowBow is simply a traditional aluminum straight-shafted snow shovel, but with a bow-shaped handle attached at the top and bottom. The user keeps one hand on its regular shaft-top handle, while gripping the bow section with the other. This reportedly allows for both the plowing and tossing of snow, with little or no bending. It is also said to provide better leverage for lifting snow, and for scraping it off the sidewalk.
The patent-pending SnowBow is the end result of three years of research and 30 prototypes, and was invented by Massachusetts industrial designer John Mosher. He is currently building the shovels in his basement, where he can apparently crank one out every five minutes. For US$39.99, he’ll set you up with one.
