Photo: screenshot from Youtube/edited by autoevolution
One of Elon Musk’s recent tweets said they are working on a robotic “metal snake” that will act as an automatic cord to plug in any Tesla vehicle and spare you from the hellish task of doing it manually. My depiction of how this might look like from the last article is a bit wrong, because this is how the thing might turn out to be in reality. Still freaky...
What we’re looking at here is OC Robotics’ Series 2 - X125 system, which was unveiled last month. Coincidence? Could be, but if Tesla’s going to create a metal snake that will swivel around your garage to find the plug hole, this is how it should be like.
The Series 2 presented in the video bellow can be bent at over 225 degrees and has a flexible tip that can hold a 6 kg (13.2 lb) payload while stretching 2.2 meters (7.2 ft), so a plug won’t be a problem.
Who the hell needs this?
Why does this thing exist on the market? The freaky snake can be used to inspect hard-to-reach places and even perform simple tasks while being there, because the head can be equipped with different tools. Maybe Tesla could offer an optional chainsaw tip and program the thing to guard your Model S. That would be awesome.
However, the overkill machinery (which should be offered at an overkilling price too) could be used for only one thing - start charging the car during off-peak times at night when you're asleep. But even so, this could be done with an electronically controlled switch placed somewhere along the cord to let electricity pass after 10 pm or something.
It’s not that hard to achieve and it’s a 1,000 times easier to do than a robotic snake, but hey, it’s about Tesla’s reputation here, a company that wants to revolutionize the auto industry by giving dealerships a kick in the crotch (thing I really sustain) and put people on Mars.
Until all of these happen, all I can say is Go-Go-Gadget-Snake!
Google News