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Tankpitstop – the fuel-pumping robot

If you've ever pulled into a service station and thought, I wish someone would fill her up for me, you may just get your wish if this Dutch robot has its way.


 

Named Tankpitstop, it costs over $110,000 as is the first car-fuelling robot (how no one thought of that before is remarkable). The robot first reads the registering of the car on arrival and matches it to a database of fuel cap designs and fuel types. What can go wrong...

From there it only gets more complicated as a robotic arm (fitted with numerous sensors) extends towards the car, carefully pulls open the car's flap, unscrews the cap, picks up the correct fuel nozzle and pushes it into the tank opening. Not bad!

There are some limitations though, firstly it requires your car's fuel cap to be keyless and the system needs to have a recording of your car's dimensions (to avoid hitting the car).

"I was on a farm and I saw a robotic arm milking a cow. If a robot can do that then why can't it fill a car tank, I thought," said developer Nico van Staveren.

Real-world testing is scheduled to begin at a few Dutch petrol stations by the end of the year, so it's unlikely we would see it in Australia for some time.

Tell us, would you actually let a robot fill up your precious car?

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