shovel
Enable an AI agent to recognise a shovel, assess its suitability and condition for a particular material and task, and decide whether to use, maintain, repair or withdraw it.
Bundle → Layer → Finding → Questions Filled
6 bundles · 11 layers · 18 findings · 28 questions
Shovel identity and boundaries Establish whether the item belongs to this entry and which shovel configuration it represents.
Working tool recognition
Recognise the shovel through its assembled form and working action.
Blade and handle configuration
Record evidence of a material-gathering blade or scoop and a handle arranged for manual control.
- Does the assembled item have a continuous working head capable of gathering and supporting material during transfer? definition
- Is this a complete manually operated shovel, a replacement component or a machine attachment? boundary
Type and neighbouring tools
Separate supported type identification from ambiguous naming.
Type evidence
Record the declared type and the physical features supporting or complicating that designation.
- What markings, manufacturer information or other evidence identify its shovel type and intended material? provenance
- Which observed features distinguish it from a spade, scoop, snow pusher or trowel, and where does classification remain unresolved? boundary
Head and material engagement Describe how the working head enters, gathers, retains and releases material.
Entry and surface contact
Characterise the leading edge and features used to press the blade into material.
Edge and foot support
Record the entry profile, edge condition and any head features intended to accept foot pressure.
- What are the leading-edge profile, width and current wear or damage? measurement
- Does available evidence support applying foot pressure, and which part of the head is intended to receive it? action
Load retention and discharge
Characterise the head's usable carrying shape and release behaviour.
Scoop geometry
Record blade area, curvature, side rise and features that affect retention or discharge of the intended material.
- What are the head's length, width, depth and head-to-shaft angle, using stated measurement references? measurement
- For the proposed material, what evidence shows whether a gathered load remains on the head and releases without excessive sticking? action
Shaft, grip and control Describe how the user holds, positions and controls the loaded shovel.
Reach and hand placement
Record handle geometry and available holding positions.
Usable handling geometry
Capture overall length, shaft shape, terminal grip and the condition of surfaces intended for holding.
- What are the overall length, shaft shape, grip type and usable hand positions? measurement
- Can the intended user hold and manoeuvre this shovel through the proposed stroke in the available space? action
Mass and adjustment
Record tool mass and any configuration changes affecting control.
Configured handling state
Identify the current shaft length or folding position and whether the relevant locks are engaged.
- What is the unloaded mass of the shovel in its current configuration? measurement
- If the shovel folds or telescopes, which working positions are supported and how is secure engagement verified? action
Structural condition and care Assess the working head, handle and connecting parts for defects and maintenance needs.
Head and handle integrity
Record material-specific defects and their location.
Damage and wear evidence
Capture cracks, distortion, blade loss, corrosion, splintering and other observed deterioration without assuming hidden strength.
- Which component materials are known, and what observations or documentation establish them? provenance
- Where are defects present, how extensive are they, and do they affect the edge, load-carrying head or holding surfaces? measurement
Connections and serviceability
Assess attachment security and supported component maintenance.
Head, shaft and grip security
Record connection construction, observed looseness and evidence for repair or replacement options.
- How are the head and grip attached to the shaft, and what play, missing hardware or connection damage is observable? definition
- Which cleaning, fastening, edge-maintenance or component-replacement actions are supported for this construction? action
Task fit and use decision Connect the shovel's observed configuration and condition to a proposed operation.
Material and operation fit
Assess the requested action against intended use and available limitations.
Supported shovelling operation
Record whether the evidence supports penetrating, gathering, lifting, pushing or scraping the specified material.
- What material, surface and operation are proposed, and which observed features or instructions support using this shovel for them? action
- What documented restrictions or ratings apply, and which proposed demands, such as prying or striking, remain unsupported? boundary
Readiness and withdrawal
Resolve whether the shovel is ready for the task or needs intervention.
Use disposition
Record a task-specific disposition based on defects, assembly state, residues and unresolved evidence.
- Do adhering material, residues or previous use require cleaning or further identification before the proposed task? action
- Should this shovel be used, serviced, reassessed or withdrawn from this task, and which observations justify that decision? action
Evidence and external alignment What the world already says about this thing, gathered so the model can be checked against it.
Reported evidence
Findings from the breadth pass, kept separate from the structural claims.
Kinds and varieties
Reported by the breadth pass; each item needs checking against its source before it becomes normative.
- Which of these kinds and varieties hold for the sense of shovel this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance
Identifiers and schemes
Reported by the breadth pass; each item needs checking against its source before it becomes normative.
- Which of these identifiers and schemes hold for the sense of shovel this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance
Standards and regulation
Reported by the breadth pass; each item needs checking against its source before it becomes normative.
- Which of these standards and regulation hold for the sense of shovel this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance
Real-world use
Reported by the breadth pass; each item needs checking against its source before it becomes normative.
- Which of these real-world use hold for the sense of shovel this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance
Typical measurements
Reported by the breadth pass; each item needs checking against its source before it becomes normative.
- Which of these typical measurements hold for the sense of shovel this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance
Failure modes and hazards
Reported by the breadth pass; each item needs checking against its source before it becomes normative.
- Which of these failure modes and hazards hold for the sense of shovel this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance
Regional variation
Reported by the breadth pass; each item needs checking against its source before it becomes normative.
- Which of these regional variation hold for the sense of shovel this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance
Neighbouring kinds and how to tell them apart
Reported by the breadth pass; each item needs checking against its source before it becomes normative.
- Which of these neighbouring kinds and how to tell them apart hold for the sense of shovel this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance
Classifiers Filled
- Family
- Thing Registry
- Category
- Physical world and living systems
- Entry kind
- thing
- Plane
- PHY
- Domain
- PHY.OBJ
- Other names and narrower kinds
- shovel cheese, shovel (heater), shovel (gardening), nozzle blade, square shovel, fire shovel, snow shovel, garden trowel, coal shovel
What it is Filled
A shovel is a hand-operated tool consisting of a thin, typically dished or slightly concave blade joined to a handle, designed primarily for digging, lifting and moving bulk material rather than cutting a clean vertical face in undisturbed ground.
In scope
- Identification of the complete shovel and its head, shaft, grip and connections
- Head geometry relevant to penetrating, gathering, retaining and releasing material
- Dimensions, mass and handling features relevant to a specified user and task
- Wear, damage, contamination and assembly condition
- Supported operations, use restrictions and maintenance or replacement needs
Out of scope
- Soil, snow, aggregate or other handled material as an independently characterised substance
- Excavation design, underground services and worksite hazard management
- The operator's health, training and personal protective equipment
- Powered excavators and their buckets or shovel attachments
- Separate picks, hoes, forks, trowels and other neighbouring hand tools
Why it exists Filled
Enable an AI agent to recognise a shovel, assess its suitability and condition for a particular material and task, and decide whether to use, maintain, repair or withdraw it.
Distinguishing features Filled
- Look for a substantially continuous blade or scoop, connected to a manually controlled handle, that can gather and move loose material; separated working tines suggest a fork.
- Inspect whether the head supports material during lifting and transfer, rather than functioning principally as the transverse scraping or chopping head of a hoe.
- Record blade curvature, side rise, cutting edge and handle alignment when distinguishing a shovel from a spade; a seller's name alone does not settle this boundary.
- Check whether the implement is a complete hand-operated tool or a working attachment that depends on a powered machine.
- For snow tools, inspect whether the head and handle support lifting a retained load or primarily pushing material along a surface.
What robots and AI may and may not do Filled
Must not
- Dig where buried utilities have not been located.
- Operate a machine-mounted shovel near people outside its safe working zone.
- Dig on land without the owner's permission or near protected heritage or graves.
Only with a human decision
- Excavation near utilities, trenches or protected sites.
May
- Use or operate a shovel the agent is authorized to use, for digging or moving bulk material.
- Report damage such as a cracked handle or loose blade.
Moral aspects Filled
- Digging into cables or gas pipes can kill.
- Manual digging strains workers' backs.
Who is affected
- Workers
- Bystanders
- Utility users
Owners Filled
Steward
The person or company that owns it.
Links to other meta-models Filled
parent
- Q14861286 - registry parent class
- Q2578402 - registry parent class
- Q39546 - registry parent class
What else AI and robots need to interact with it Filled
Identity and identifiers required Filled
- Vercy registry: vr.tr.shovel
- Wikidata: Q7220961 (https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7220961)
Direct properties required Filled
- Declared shovel type and intended material: Recorded designation and intended materials, with evidence and unknown allowed
- Head dimensions: Blade length, maximum width and scoop depth in mm
- Leading-edge profile: Pointed, rounded, straight, serrated, other or unknown
- Head-to-shaft angle: Degrees, with the reference planes and measurement method recorded
- Overall length and usable grip positions: Overall length and grip-position distances from the head in mm
- Unloaded mass: kg
- Component materials: Observed or documented head, shaft, grip and connector materials; unknown permitted
- Head and shaft integrity: Observed cracks, deformation, wear, corrosion, splintering or other defects, with location and extent
- Connection and lock condition: Fixed or adjustable construction; observed play, missing fasteners and lock engagement; untested allowed
- Task-specific suitability: Shovel linked to a proposed material, operation and context, with supporting evidence and unresolved limits
Recognition required Filled
- A manual shovel typically has a broad, slightly concave blade connected to a long shaft.
- Raised blade sides help retain loose material and distinguish many shovels from flatter spades.
- The blade has a continuous working surface rather than the separated tines of a fork or rake.
- A machine-mounted shovel has a scoop attached to a mechanical arm or linkage instead of a hand-held shaft.
Capabilities and actions required Filled
- Assess whether the shovel can penetrate or loosen the specified material within documented limitations.
- Gather, lift, carry over a short distance and discharge loose material using a suitable shovel.
- Push or scrape material where the head design and surface compatibility support that operation.
- Inspect the blade, shaft, grip, connections and any adjustable locks before use.
- Clean, maintain or replace supported components according to construction and available instructions.
- Withdraw the shovel from a proposed task when damage, contamination or unresolved limitations prevent a supported use decision.
Hazards and failure modes required Filled
- Striking buried power cables or gas pipes while digging.
- Trench collapse and back strain from heavy lifting.
Standards and interfaces required Filled
- BS 8020, issued by the British Standards Institution, applies to insulating hand tools including shovels intended for work on or near conductor rail systems.
Context of use required Filled
- Shovels are used in gardening, agriculture, construction and material handling to dig or move loose bulk material.
- Manual shovels allow a person to lift and transfer material using a blade and handle.
- Machine-mounted shovels perform related excavation and loading tasks at scales determined by the carrier machine.
Sources Filled
- Shovel - Common kinds (round-point, square-point, scoop, snow, entrenching, power shovel), the blade-and-shaft anatomy, and the everyday distinction from a spade.
- Harmonized Commodity Description and Coding System, heading 8201 (Hand tools: spades, shovels, mattocks, picks, hoes, forks and rakes) - International trade identity of the hand tool as HS 8201.10 'spades and shovels', grouped with other agricultural and digging hand tools.
- 29 CFR 1926.301 Hand tools - US construction-site rules that apply to shovels as hand tools (sound handles, no splintered or cracked wood, mushroomed striking faces on related tools).
- Take Precautions When Shoveling Snow - Documented real-world use and hazards of snow shoveling: overexertion, cold stress, and cardiac events as a recognised occupational and public risk.
- Wikidata item Q7220961: shovel - identity and sense of the item
Open questions
- Does registry policy include spades, hand scoops and snow pushers within shovel, or assign them to neighbouring entries?
- Which primary sources establish intended operations, restrictions and any load ratings for the shovel variants represented?
- Which inspection criteria reliably distinguish acceptable wear from defects requiring withdrawal for each head, shaft and connection construction?
- What repeatable assessment should be used for load retention and release across materials with different density, moisture and adhesion?
- Which specialist shovel features require additional coverage, and what evidence is needed to verify claims such as electrical insulation or spark resistance?
Machine files
Provenance
thing registry research (pass 2) · unreviewed
Built from: models/things/publications/thing-q7220961/spec.json