Gas Stations: First robotic gas pump that, upon paid approval from the driver, can open the...

...auto body cover for the gas cap, remove the gas cap, insert the gas nozzle, fill the gas tank (to either a specific dollar amount, gallon amount, or until full), remove the gas nozzle, put back on the gas cap, and close the auto body cover for the gas cap.  And during the time it takes to refill an empty vehicle gas tank, it must also wash and wipe clean the vehicle's windshield, windows, headlights, and taillights; check the air pressure of all tires and inflate/deflate them to the proper level; and, if the hood is popped, check the oil level and report to the driver if it is low.  [By the robotic gas pump simply checking tire pressure and inflating/deflating them to the proper level, Americans alone could save 1.2 billion gallons of fuel a year.  The reason people don't do this fuel-saving procedure is because it is a real genuine pain in the ass to do.  You have to get down on your knees on dirty oily concrete, get your fingers all blackened up by unscrewing and screwing back on the tire pressure cap (and then commonly forgetting your fingers are dirty until you see that you have accidentally wiped them on your clean white shirt or khaki pants), and then either alternate between repeatedly adding pressure and checking the pressure with a gauge (after first racking your brain to try to remember what the tire pressure should be) or getting your fingers even more dirty by rubbing the side of the tire and trying to read the raised numbers on it that give its tire pressure (which are nearly impossible to read in even broad daylight) or trying to read usually-difficult-to-read tire pressure gauges on those air pumps that incorporate them into their air giving nozzles.  Not to mention how your knees and back will "love" you for doing all this bending, kneeling on cold rough rubble-covered concrete, and getting down and up.

And expect gas station chains who are funding this research to also fund the innovators taking on the TRANSPORTATION: NASCAR Pit Crew challenge.  Very similar technology will be required for both challenges and a gas station chain will very likely be VERY happy to be able to tell their customers that the same technology their robotic gas pumps use comes from their robotic NASCAR pit crews.  Expect TV commercials for these gas stations to make this connection VERY clear to viewers by humorously showing NASCAR racecars coming into their gas stations for fuel and/or "average" cars, mini-vans, and/or pick-up trucks pulling into a robotic NASCAR pit crew and then it morphing into their gas station's robotic gas pumps.]
 
To win this challenge (and any of the following future challenges), the program must include a learning algorithm, must transmit at least once per operational day what it has learned to the company that developed the program, and download updates from that central server.

Future Challenges: First gas station chain to make:

1) One of their gas pumps into a robotic one as outlined above.

2) All of their gas pumps at one of their gas stations into robotic ones.  The gas station must have at least eight gas pumps.

3) All of the gas pumps at all of their gas stations into robotic ones.  To win this future challenge, the chain must have at least 100 gas stations in its chain.

First robotic gas pump to:

4) Pop a vehicle's hood (yes, that means opening the vehicle door and pulling the right lever or pushing the right button), checking the engine's oil level, and, upon receiving paid approval from the driver, adding the right amount and type of oil if the oil level is low.

5) While checking the engine's oil level, quickly tests the oil and if its test indicates it needs to be changed, informs the driver of this.

6) Same as Future Challenge #5 but also, after receiving paid approval, changes the oil filter and oil with the right type.

7) Check the air filter and inform the driver if it needs to be changed.

8) Same as FC #7 but also, upon driver's paid approval, changes the air filter with the right one.

9) Slightly and gently lift the vehicle to be able to spin the tires, spins them, scans the treads of all the tires as they're spun, returns the vehicle gently to the ground, and reports to driver if the tires are in good shape or should be rotated or replaced.

10) Same as FC #9 but also, if the scan indicates that the tires should be rotated and, upon driver's approval, properly rotates the tires.

First commercial gas station chain to:

11) Add a robotic gas pump that can do all the above future challenges.

12) Replace all of their gas pumps at one of their gas stations with robotic gas pumps that can do all of the above future challenges.  The gas station must have at least eight pumps.

13) Replace all of their gas pumps at all of their gas stations with robotic gas pumps that can do all of the above future challenges.  To win this future challenge, the chain must have at least 100 gas stations in its chain.

14) Fully service an unmanned computer-driven car by one of its robotic gas pumps that can do all of the above future challenges.  All by itself, the car coming into one of their stations; gets its gas tank filled, oil changed, air filter changed, and tires rotated; pays the station on behalf of its owner; and leaves to return to its previous parking space.  The parking space must not be within a city block or, if not in a city, half a mile of the gas station.

Discussion:
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