The gas station attendant of the future, in the desert.
Imagine the sort of qualifications you’d need for the job held down by this robotic refueling arm, Robofuel. Couple of years experience on-site in industrial settings, preferably mines. Must be willing to relocate to faraway, mineral-rich areas. Must love sitting around and smelling diesel fumes. Nonsmoker preferred.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tR-0vkcN6n0
The maker of this robot that uncaps and refills gas tanks on gargantuan mining dump trucks, Scott Automation and Robotics, out of Australia, touts its efficiency (less spillage) and safety (no one handling combustibles in harsh environments underneath giant trucks). A thriving mine is the one with fewer people on site suffering fewer accidents and making fewer mistakes. The next time you don’t hear about a 22-year-old from Perth, AU tragically wandering behind the wheels of an earth-moving machine, thank a robot.
Typically, traditional fuel tanks are manned by at least one person at all times and trucks can spend up to one hour per day travelling to refuel in isolated areas away from the pit.
As there is no manning required for Robofuel automated refuelling solution, refuelling stations are able to be placed “on the circuit” or even “in-pit” so trucks can significantly reduce the amount of time dedicated to and from fuel stations each day.
Scott Automation & Robotics Robofuel system uses a state-of-the-art vision sensing and detection system which allows the robot to locate the position and orientation of the truck’s fuel tank. This information is used to couple the fuel nozzle with the tank. Fuel spillages are minimised through the controlled coupling and pumping, mitigating the risk of environmental contamination.
