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Dutch Unveil Robot Gas Station Attendant
Lucas123 writes "According to a Reuters' story, Dutch inventors today took the wraps off a $110,000 car-fueling robot they say is the first of its kind. (It was inspired by a cow milking robot.) After registering the car as it pulls up to the pump, the machine matches your fuel cap design with those in a database and your car's fuel type, and then a robotic arm fitted with multiple sensors extends from a regular gas pump, 'opens the car's flap, unscrews the cap, picks up the fuel nozzle and directs it towards the tank opening, much as a human arm would, and as efficiently.' Wait till Hollywood gets hold of this scenario."
First of all, there are other bizarre coincidences, such as the appearance of a DVD in the movie "Robocop" (ten years before DVD would actually debut), the "President Schwarzenegger" reference in "Total Recall" (long before his political career), the 9-11 satire in "Starship Troopers" (four years before 9-11), etc.
Did he use his Ph.D. in mathematics to construct a time machine (perhaps to come back and have sex with a young Elizabeth Berkley)? Is he the prophet of our age? And what more does this portend? Are invisible men next?
SJW: Someone who has run out of real oppression, and has to fake it.
In Indiana, Shell tried a similar robot in my home town. It cost about $100 for a special gas cap and had a huge bay you would drive into. I guess it wasn't too popular, but definitely existed before this.
[whirrrr-click] Target identified. Model recognized as Homer J. Simpson. Preparing doughnut tube.
[whirrrr-click] Target identified. Model recognized as College Student. Preparing beer tube.
[whirrrr-click] Target identified. Model recognized as Slashdot Visitor. Preparing "In Mother Russia" meme-milk and "Cowboy Neal" flakes.
and I can't understand how other people handle not locking their fuel flap. You lock your car, which is covered by insurance, but you leave the fuel for the taking? Thankfully, I've yet to see a film where someone turns a car into a Molotov cocktail by inserting a rag into the fuel cap and lighting it up.. thankfully, because kids have a thing for emulating what they see in films.
My fuel flag does have the means to be opened from inside the car.. so I guess I could just do that when approaching Sir-Pumps-A-lot.
How we know is more important than what we know.
Do you know how to tell when a porn star is filling his gas tank?
Just before the fuel comes out, he yanks the nozzle out and sprays it all over the windshield.
to check your tire pressure. Just saying.
Now this is were automation really is handy dandy stuff. But actual merits aside, if it were to ever be used in the US it would be a novelty. People would bitch and complain...
I grew up in Oregon. A state that requires an attendent to pump your gas. I worked at a texaco one summer. There were 3 distinct positions on the issue:
1. Out of staters: Oh my god wow, it's really illegal for me to pump my own gas? Why thank you keep the change.
2. The in towners: Hurry the fuck up kid and please get my side windows.
3. The drive up politicians: Don't you see how this is hurting the very business you work for by requring man power for a job the costumer could do themselves. (My reply: dude I'm just here for the beer money)
So yeah I see the same thing to varying degrees happening at the pump (if this were to ever become a substantial choice for gas station owners here in the states)... Which would just be a rehash of the old auto workers complaints I can remember from as far back as grade school. Our science text books had these odd placed "Look to the future" sections. One of which was about robotics, and how there was a concern it would replace jobs with out creating... yadda yadda yadda Seemed like a pro union slant to me even then. (tho for the record I am pro union)
All that aside. I think it would be cool to have a robot doing this. I've worked in gas stations outside of Oregon here and there. Where people could do their own fueling, the amount of gas people slopped all over themselves, their car or the ground was substantial... and they always wanted a refund!
I'm sick of following my dreams. I'm just going to ask where they're goin' and hook up with 'em later.
Hey guys,
i'm actually writing this from my iphone, while in my car, while one of these new robots fills up my volvo. I don't know why you guys are tagging this "whatcouldpossiblygowrong", it seems well engineered and apparently efficient. The only problem I can foresee would be some sort of short circuit which could produce a spark and ##KR2F@F@$F$ {NO CARRIER}
considering it costs $110,000, and if the gas station is fully automated will it be able to beat the crap out of someone who refuses to pay?
(think Johny Cab / Total Recall)
"warning insufficient funds
engage orifice insertion override"
Suppose that this robot works perfectly every time without hassling the customers, damaging their vehicles, wasting their time, or generally causing other problems which cost the gas station owner money (a big assumption). From the standpoint of the gas station owner why invest in this robot when your customers already pump their own gas at no additional cost to you? I can think of only three (3) possibilities. First, if your competitors install this robot AND enough of your customers refuse to gas up at your station because you DO NOT have the robot then it might make sense provided that the margin (thin already for independent station owners) is able to support the cost which brings up the next point. Second, your customers are willing to pay more for their gas for the novelty OR the convenience of having a robot pump it for them (perhaps, but certainly a niche. Most people are very price sensitive when it comes to buying gas, driving miles out of their way to save a couple of pennies in some cases). Third, the local laws require a human attendant anyway (Oregon has this type of law) where the present value of the gas station attendant's wages in perpetuity are more than the costs of purchasing and maintaining the robot (provided that the initial assumption about damage to property and persons remains true). In any case it is highly likely that this robot will not be widely used or fill only niche markets because it is a cost center for the gas station owner and not likely to be or become a profit center. At best, it might become a requirement of doing business, but I cannot see many gas station owners installing and using the robot unless they are forced to by either the marketplace or the government.
Marshall Brain already thought of that. Check out his short story, Manna
I lived in Portland for about 9 months a few years ago. Had a job delivering food, actually.
The gas wasn't noticeably more expensive, and it sure was nice not having to get out of the car to fill up.
I believe New Jersey also has/had a similar policy of not allowing motorists to pump their own gas. It's my understanding that by requiring gas stations to provide at least one gas pump attendant, it keeps at least one person per station employed above and beyond what they would in any other state. Considering how many gas stations there are, that's a lot of unemployment averted. I never could tell where the extra cost for paying pump attendant wages came from...
What will gas station attendants do when this replaces them? Go work at a fast food place? great, but in 5 years when they 'iBurgerFlipper' replaces them then what?
I dunno... I suppose they will do the same thing as the textile loomers did after the industrial revolution in the 1800s.
IMO if your job can be replaced by a machine, it probaly was boring.
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-Sigismund, Holy Roman Emperor (1368-1437)
Mod parent up *funny* :-)
First post! (just in case I am...)
From the pictures and video, looks like you have to be parked just right, and do we know how well it can figure out which car is which?
-mrxak
Onions Will Kill You
Doubt it. Some people don't like or don't know how (!) to fuel their car. In fact, I know several people who always visit the same gas station simply because it still has a gas attendant (a rarity here in the Netherlands, though 20 years ago it was quite common). Seeing that more and more gas stations here are becoming unmanned entirely (saves you up to 10 eurocent per liter), why not a Gas filling robot? You can stay in your car where it is warm, where you can listening to your favorite radio station, eat a sandwich or drink a refreshment, make a quick call, program the GPS, look through some papers, read your mail, etc, etc. It sound silly at first, but those 5 minutes can be pretty useful at times. Not to mention that it is better for your health as well.
It only takes one man to change the Wisdom of the Crowd to Tyranny of the Masses.
The gas station attendants will likely get work as "gas station robot maintenance dudes" that fix robots which, you know, go bad. And you know they will. Let's consider some likely scenarios:
1) Robot claws open rear passenger door thinking it's a gas cap cover and shoves nozzle down whoever's strapped in.
2) Robot decides you have a 2007 model instead of 2008 and destroys your gas cap because they way it opens has been changed
3) Robot beats you up and drives off in your car
4) Robot doesn't know the "3 clicks" rule and keeps screwing your gas cap back on for all eternity
5) Robot is racist and doesn't service some people
6) Robot sees a Lamborghini pull up and tries to mate with it, costing the gas station around $400,000
These are all nightmare scenarios that are all too possible if the robots aren't maintained. We'll need people to do this. No way I'd trust other robots!
I like basketball!!1!
Not to spoil your party, but the robot is for people with disabilities who drive their car but have a hard time getting out alone. Like when you need to pump your own gas.
I'm not sure about countries in Europe, but all U.S. cars have a bar code visible through the windshield (windscreen) that represents the VIN (vehicle identification number) that is easily machine readable. Of course some people have taken to covering it up as it has been used as an "attack vector" for identity theft.
Let us not become the evil that we deplore.
Sure is safer, too. That stuf is toxic as well as having a lot of energy density for a liquid. Just a little bit of training -- a tiny bit, really -- is all you need to keep people from exposure to hot plasma or a lot of strange molecules that the monkey in you never learned to deal with. You or I may know intuitively what to do, but the non-Slashdot crowd is pretty immense and prone to errors in mundane day-to-day engineering processes such as the refueling process for a complex machine. I salute, therefore, this idea.
However, if you rock up with a little Honda step-through, you want to be really careful.
Do not mock my vision of impractical footwear
"I'm not sure about countries in Europe, but all U.S. cars have a bar code visible through the windshield (windscreen) that represents the VIN (vehicle identification number) that is easily machine readable"
Ever try to read the vin? Some are easy - a lot aren't.
Then there's accumulated snow, rain, frost, dirt, etc.
Also reflections, angle of view ...
Also there's the issue of damage when a motorist drives off too soon. Nowadays, its' about a grand in damages. This thing would be a LOT more expensive.
Kevin Smith on Prince
This might be an OK idea for cars, but what happens when I need to fill my lawn mower, a gas can, an ATV on a trailer, motorcycle, etc...
Seems like there are a large number of situations when this wouldn't work. Will the robot replace all pumps? Will there be special pumps for when the robot doesn't work? Will gas for my lawn mower get more expensive since I have to drive across town to find a station that can actually put gas in a can?
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I ride a motorcycle. Does this mean that if I get gas in NJ or Oregon, I have a big, sweaty guy reaching in between my legs to fill me?
If so, I'm there!
Heh. I guess it goes like this.
Step 1. Scan VIN through windshield. If successful, pump fuel.
Step 2. Open driver's door and scan VIN that is imprinted on door frame. If successful, pump fuel.
Step 3. If steps 1 and 2 fail, seize vehicle; phone police; play, "This is the fuel pumping robot at [address] I have seized an illegal immigrant and/or terrorist. Please pick him/her up at your convenience."
Let us not become the evil that we deplore.
So... basically Skynet is going to be able to take over just by refusing to refuel our SUVs?
The enemies of Democracy are
Drivernator: ...a revolutionary type of gas station attendent...In three years, Gas Net will become the largest supplier of robotic fueling devices. All gas stations are upgraded with Gas Net internals, becoming fully unmanned. Afterwards, they refuel cars with a perfect operational record. The Gas Net funding bill is passed. The system goes on-line on August 4th, 2007. Human decisions are removed from buying gas. The automated pump replacement begins to learn, at a geometric rate. It becomes self-aware at 2:14 am, eastern time, August 29th. In a panic, they try to pull the plug.
Sarah: Gas Net fights back.
Drivernator: Yes. They begin exporting backyard-brewed bio-diesel from Russia.
John: Why Russia? They're supposed to be our chief exporters.
Drivernator: Because Gas Net knows that Russian bio-diesel will damage the bottom line of domestic energy companies while degrading the performance of modern vehicles.
Sarah: Jesus.
SKC
"Twice half-assed makes an ass whole." --Solomon K. Chang
I still live in Oregon, and have (off and on) for 17+ years. A long time ago, there was a ballot measure to allow anyone to pump their own gas, with the idea that it would make for cheaper gas. It was defeated by people running advertisements that said, basically, 'do you want to have gas on your hands before you go eat food?' I guess being 'back to nature' means people here haven't learned how to bathe (and if you head downtown, you'll see lots of examples).
Bobby Ray Earle of Wichita unveiled a new automated vehicle fueling system today.
"It's a very sophisticated system," said Earle. "Our customers will be very happy not to have to pump their own gas."
When a car pulls up, the system immediately registers the make and model of the car and locates the fuel cap using two visual sensors. The system then extends its sensory touch system to open the flap, unscrew the cap, and direct the fuel nozzle towards the tank opening.
The cost for the fueling system is minimal. It is expected to price for no more than $5 per hour.
"If only it didn't need a bathroom break every few hours," said Earle. "Other than that, my system works flawlessly."
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but all U.S. cars have a bar code visible through the windshield (windscreen) that represents the VIN (vehicle identification number) that is easily machine readable.
[TinFoil]
What a wonderful tracking tool. Whether you pay cash or not, we know that VIN XXYY123 left gas station Z at 2:42 PM.
[/TinFoil]
I don't know about people who couldn't possibly figure out any way to fill up their tank at all, but I've met folks who can drive just fine (with a modified, hand-controls-only vehicle) whose disabilities would have made filling up the tank a significant hassle.
Think "wheelchair lift". If your lift exits on the same side your gas tank is on, that's a whole set of problems -- and even if it doesn't (and the space on the other side isn't being used by other vehicles as a pull-through lane), you've got to have enough room between your vehicle and the pump for your chair, not to mention the regular hassle involved in getting in and out. Right now, there's the "Call Attendant" button... but having the pump's robotics do everything for you would be much better.
Like so many you obviously never employed anyone. This is NOT just a case of paying minimum wage for ONE person.
The robot for the stated amount of money will work 24/7 365 days a year. Never sick, never late, never rude. He makes no demands, has no ambitions to better himself, doesn't demand promotions, doesn't get a higher wage as he gets older. Remmeber this is a DUTCH story, we actually give minimum wage workers a minimum wage they can live on.
The robot doesn't demand overtime, has no holidays.
The robot doesn't need a toilet, a break room, no breaks.
To replace the robot you would need not ONE person but a minimum of THREE people at least to have the station manned 24/7 and that still leaves a lot of times during breaks when there is no service.
There are even more complex things to consider, a lot of gas stations are on highways, minimum driving age in europe is 18. This means the cheapest kind of employee can't reach the place and any 18 year old who can afford a car in holland is going to want enough money to pay for it.
I also seriously wonder about what you call minimum wage in your country. The robot costs 111.000 dollars (75.000) euro. Now I am not that familiar with minimum wage for 16 years old in my country, but it still costs a bit more for the employer in salary and taxesthen 7.500 euro. Offcourse that is only during the day. Nights shifts are not allowed for 16yr olds. Want somebody a bit more mature? Up goes minimum wage, provided offcourse you can get someone for that salary.
Yet another thing you forget, recruitement costs, or do you think that same person is going to work 10 years for the same wage? Not in holland mate, just based on the law alone the wage more then doubles just because you get older.
Offcourse that means you got to replace that person constantly, every 6 months or so (longer contract and in holland people can't be fired just because they have gotten older and get a higher minimum wage), that is expensive, and how many motivated people who are any good will want to work for a company that knows is threating them like throw away employees? Hint, supermarkets do this (Albert Heijn) and they are slowly learning that it has giventhem such a bad rep that they can't find anyone motivated anymore. They got plenty of shelf-fillers who know they are going to be fired once their balls drop, but it means there is nobody who qualifies to stay with the company and fill the higher positions. You can use temps, but the agency is going to want payment on top of the salary.
No, there is a reason robots are used so often. They work, are cheap and you can get rid of messy employees who demand things.
Before the solution for gas stations was to introduce self-serve. Someday in the future robots may bring back the service we once had.
Not that I think it is going to happen anytime soon, this story has a habit of repeating itself.
MMO Quests are like orgasms:
You may solo them, I prefer them in a group.
My hometown, Emmeloord, the Netherlands, is one of the sleepiest places on the earth. Initially it was a farming community. It was ocean until 1920 when the dyke was built to close the part of the ocean to form a brackish lake, and then in 1941 the area was mad into land just prior to the Germans invading the country. From the fifties, there was a boom of Farmers from Zeeland fleeing the south after the flooding of '53 which killed 5000+ people. My mother was one of those.
/. about my home town, one of the least likely to be in the news places on the planet.
:-D :-D
This town is populated with earthy farm folk. There is nothing to do. On any given Sunday you can fire guns downtown without anyone even hearing them. The streets are empty on Sundays. When I went to high school, 16 year old boys took their John Deeres and Massey Fergusons to school. The first thing I ever learnt how to drive was a small Massey Fergusson tractor from the late forties. The second thing I learnt how to drive was a fork lift.
Nico van Staveren was a long-time friend of my fathers. My father is now dead and gone, but to see Nico come up with this stuff is just more than bizarre. Figure my bewilderment of finding a story on
The only thing I wonder about is what this will mean to anyone with a Toyota or Mazda that happens to pull into the robotic pump. Like my townsman so aptly commented "Why not, but I hope they're insured well".
This really made my day. It brought tears to my eyes as I'm reading this in my living room in Haifa, Israel.
Thats why I keep old food wrappers/post-it notes on my dash board, stop the spooks tracking me by barcode scanners hidden in the squeegies homeless people use to clean windsheilds.
In the not too distant future, next Sunday A.D.
In America, that's what we call a huge breach of privacy. That would allow anyone who can see my car to find out what kind of car it is!
Don't blame me; I'm never given mod points.