Motorists nostalgic for the time they could sit tight while attendants braved windswept garage forecourts to fill their tanks may yet see those heady days return — compliments of a Dutch robot.
Dutch inventors have unveiled a 75,000 euro car-fuelling robot they say is the first of its kind, working by registering the car on arrival at the filling station and matching it to a database of fuel cap designs and fuel types.
A robotic arm fitted with multiple sensors extends from a regular petrol pump, carefully opens the car’s flap, unscrews the cap, picks up the fuel nozzle and directs it toward the tank opening, much as a human arm would, and as efficiently.
I can picture a cold, snowy night when I would prefer stopping at a filling station with one of these. Who do I pay? And how?
Aah, the good old attendants. Cheery souls who dented your car, stole your camera, spilled the gas, checked out your teenage daughter and smoked.
If the Robot’s OS is Vista, it will spray gas all over your car, then light it on fire. Microsoft will claim this is a security feature.
Here in Oregon its illegal to pump your own gas, unless your a certified fuel handler.
Will it crawl under your car to retrieve the
cap the way I would? Would it appreciate the smell of the gas the way I would? Will it be using it’s cell phone the way I would? Why do I even get out of bed now.
And this will save me money, how???????
Ochem and your razor, where are you when we need you?? 🙂
What would make this truly useful would be a way to keep your AC or heater on while your call is being refueled. Unfortunately, that’s probably not very safe (although airplanes refuel while their engines are on.) Bottom line: I suspect there are infrastructure changes in the car necessary to make this innovation truly useful.
No, I’m from Jersey where according to the government, we’re too stupid to pump our own gas so it’s illegal. It is nice on cold days when you don’t want to leave the car though.
yeah at least that’s one good thing about jersey. but I still feel bad and tip the attendant.
Being from Oregon I get my gas pumped for me. Truly the oil companies put one over on the people of states where they have instituted self serve. I’ve seen the campaign;cheaper gas, right? Well the price of Oregon’s gas usually falls somewhere in the middle of the other the states. Not to mention the loss of jobs.
I’m happy my mother and my daughters don’t have to pump gas; particularly when they’re wearing something nice.
Also appreciate not having to smell like gas myself. I was in Idaho a while back when I got out to use the pump. Stepped in a puddle and the car smelled like gas the rest of the trip.
Too late for the rest of you I suppose but every time one of Oregon’s corporate-owned legislators puts forth another self-serve bill they get hammered down by the populace. Works for me.
New Jersey bans it too. How about letting people decide for themselves what type of gas station they want?
It’s long been recognized that the people from Jersey are too stupid to pump their own gas. And the citizens of Oregon are usually too stoned.
Absolutely no way.
These things will require close attention and maintainance, which they are not going to get from convenience store clerks.
Up here in Minneota I am picturing that marvelous robotic arm freezing up one cold morning and surgically removing a strip of paint from my car.
We could be working on the technology to GET OFF the oil. But no, we need to spend time designing robots that solve problems that don’t exist.
First time that robot arm scratches my car I’m kickin its ass
I’m an Oregonian, now too, where we aren’t allowed to pump it.
I actually prefer pumping it myself but I’ve noticed something: our gas prices in Oregon don’t seem much different than in Washington where you have to pump it yourself.
Same price; more people employed; easier; maybe a teeny bit safer — what’s wrong with the Oregon system?
#6, fredvw;
Part of me wonders whether that rule is mostly there for all the stupid mouth-breathers who would forget to place their car in park, engage the parking brake, etc…
Could be the state taxes are lower in oregon, or maybe a different type of gas mix, or maybe people are richer in Wash
I’m in NYC. I fill up in Joisey when I can, despite the fact that they won’t let me pump my own gas, mostly ’cause it really is cheaper there. I like the opportunity to get out and stretch a bit while filling up.
What’s really amusing though is every once in a while when you see someone at a New York station with NJ plates. Sometimes, albeit rarely, they literally don’t know how to work the pump. In most of NY state, full serve costs more or is completely unavailable. So, someone who rarely steps foot (or wheels) out of NJ just has no idea how to work the thing. (Despite my ordinarily misanthropic nature, the one time there was no attendant at all and I saw that, I did help.)
It’s funny, I do go for the cheapest gas I can find, often by filling in NJ, despite the fact that I really would like to see much higher gas prices.
#18
It’s as if the concepts of supply and demand and maximizing utility are universal or something… ;->
My sister has lived in Oregon all her adult life and literally doesn’t know how to pump her own gas.
Considering that I have to release the flap for my tank from inside the car(Toyota Matrix), I can see serious damage from it getting overeager and trying to open it itself.
I’d like it here in Phoenix during the summer for the same reasons as those in Minnesota.
Eideard: How would you pay? An RFID or a Transponder type of system would work great on those -30 or 110 degree days.