It will cost more than your car, but the convenience! Pull up to a pump, and the Dutch robot fueling system from Intion Development does the rest. A robotic arm pops open the access door with one manipulator, unscrews the fuel cap with another, and then handles the fuel nozzle with a gripper-like device and fills up your car.
The website for the TankPitStop is in Dutch only, so a few of the details aren’t clear. For example: How do you pay? Clearly you don’t hand the robot your card – it doesn’t look like it’s set up to handle one, and then there’s the risk that the robot will use your credit to buy itself a Roomba, for company. But even if you do have to get out and swipe, that’s still a big advantage in bad weather, as you’d only be out in the elements for a moment.
The developers hope to see the robot installed in a few Dutch fueling stations this year. See it in action here, and be sure to keep your volume on for the fabulous theme music.
Via ZDNet