Looks much like to robotics made by Festo. I recall seeing a "elephant trunk" type of arm. Wonder if this is based on anything from these guys.
http://news.discovery.com/tech/robotics/robotic-arm-inspired...
Tesla unveils new car-charging robo-snake
131–140 of 209 posts
Re: Tesla unveils new car-charging robo-snake
#132Earlier quoted context omitted.
I'm pretty sure your entire pitch is the doors go like this: | | instead of this: - -
Half the doors go | |, the other half - - It makes the "small parking space enter-exit point moot", I don't get it.
This is why: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eFr5T85F9Zw
Re: Tesla unveils new car-charging robo-snake
#133Earlier quoted context omitted.
It seems completely, extravagantly unnecessary, but that's much like many other qualities of Tesla cars I guess. Is it really too much work to plug in a charging lead by hand?
Robot cars don't have hands.
There are several much simpler ways a robot car could connect itself for charging. This is just gee-whiz tech for its own sake, and it's fine for Tesla to do, don't get me wrong.
But as someone who can't afford to buy a Tesla, and who wouldn't spend that kind of money on a car even if I had it, I'd rather see the R&D going into more affordable, more practical EVs that I might actually consider purchasing.
Re: Tesla unveils new car-charging robo-snake
#134Nice. Robotic fueling has been done before [1][2], but this is much less clunky. This looks like the OC Robotics snake robot.[3] Finally, a use for snake robots, which have been around for 25 years but are not used much. Tesla has a good application for this - the car end is cooperative and standard. The car's parking guidance system can be programmed to recognize visual targets and get itself into the proper positio…
Call me a pessimist but I look at that thing and I see it breaking. Drive over it, vandalism, one of the hundred little motors having a defect... Why not just have two or three axis of movement in a more static, 90° construction??
For protection from vehicles, put a bollard on either side. If the cables have overload springs, which they should, forcing it to bend won't hurt anything.
The tentacle approach is mechanically elegant. The base mechanism is obviously a prototype, but that can be cleaned up for production. Ice, water, and sand in the mechanism will be a problem for outdoor installations, so the base unit has to be protected against those.
Re: Tesla unveils new car-charging robo-snake
#135If your still using a gas fueled vehicle, my startup will do this for you (we use only humans at the moment, however). http://purpledelivery.com (LA only)
FYI you need to fix that site, it takes me a full 2.5 minutes to finish loading with 150mbit internet in LA.
Re: Tesla unveils new car-charging robo-snake
#136Earlier quoted context omitted.
It seems completely, extravagantly unnecessary, but that's much like many other qualities of Tesla cars I guess. Is it really too much work to plug in a charging lead by hand?
Imagine you pull up to a Supercharger on Friday night of a holiday weekend. All the stalls are taken and there is a line of a handful of cars in front of you. Today, you wait in your car until the people in front of you finish charging. Tomorrow, you leave your car in line and go get dinner.
Imagine you pull up to a Supercharger on Friday night of a holiday weekend. All the stalls are taken and there is a line of a handful of cars in front of you.
I'm wishing I still had my gasoline-powered car at that point.
Re: Tesla unveils new car-charging robo-snake
#137Re: Tesla unveils new car-charging robo-snake
#138Why not put that thing into the car? It would take both space and weight (i.e impact range and performance) but then we could install outlets anywhere. The car (fleet) owner would be responsible for everything, including maintenance and replacements.
Maybe there's a reason why cables are part of the appliances instead of the outlets? Also, car owners would certainly prefer a snake that works everywhere and not just at home.
Re: Tesla unveils new car-charging robo-snake
#139Why not put that thing into the car? It would take both space and weight (i.e impact range and performance) but then we could install outlets anywhere. The car (fleet) owner would be responsible for everything, including maintenance and replacements. Maybe there's a reason why cables are part of the appliances instead of the outlets? Also, car owners would certainly prefer a snake that works everywhere and not just a…
[deleted]
Re: Tesla unveils new car-charging robo-snake
#140Earlier quoted context omitted.
Very cool tech indeed. A battery swap while on the move might be more efficient/faster then a charge on the move. (But it would be nice if the next-gen solar panels installed on a car would be efficient enough to provide enough power for a car drive)
(But it would be nice if the next-gen solar panels installed on a car would be efficient enough to provide enough power for a car drive) You only get about 1.5KW of light per square metre, on average. A car has maybe 4-8 square metres of usable solar panel space, so guess you could get 3-6KW of power using superexpensive cutting-edge 3-junction solar panels that manage 50% efficiency. Model S has a 310KW motor. Assum…
It can work as a range extender, though, especially if factoring in charging while you stop for a bite to eat, shop, visit the office, etc. In addition, if you're an occasional driver, it can be charged and ready to go if you simply park it in a sunny spot.
I'd pay extra for such solar panels in the roof.