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"Fill 'er up, C3PO"
05 February 2008
The days of braving the bitter elements while filling up your car may soon end thanks to the “Tankpitstop” robotic fuel filler.
Dutch inventors have created a £55,000 car fuelling robot which works by registering the car on arrival at the pump and matching fuel types and fuel filler designs. The arm then extends from the fuel pump, opens the tank, and grabs the fuel nozzle before filling the tank as quickly and efficiently as a human arm.
Robotic arms that can milk cows inspired the design of the “Tankpitstop”. Developer Nico van Staveren said: “If a robot can do that then why can’t it fill a car tank?”
The robotic arm works on any car that doesn’t need a key to unlock its filler, and whose details are recorded on the database of cap designs to avoid scratching. The creators hope to have some of the arms installed in Dutch petrol stations by the end of the year.
Mark Rainford
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