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Audi Factory Tests Robots to Shuttle Cars

Audi AG's car plant in Ingolstadt, Germany, is testing a pair of robotic systems that pick up and transport cars to an interim storage area, then arrange them according to shipping destination The robot system, dubbed Ray, was developed by Grabenstatt-based Serva Transport Systems GmbH.

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Audi AG's car plant in Ingolstadt, Germany, is testing a pair of robotic systems that pick up and transport cars to an interim storage area, then arrange them according to shipping destination

The robot system, dubbed Ray, was developed by Grabenstatt-based Serva Transport Systems GmbH. The company say the devices can arrange cars 60% closer than manually parked vehicles. The Audi installation is similar to one at the Dusseldorf airport which is now in commercial use.

Each U-shaped robot consists of a cross member 9 meters long. Two pairs of arms resembling forklift blades one pair for the front wheels and one for the rears lift the vehicle 10 cm off the ground for transport. Sensors detect the size and wheelbase of each vehicle and adjust the span between the lifts accordingly.

Audi says the Serva system eliminates long walking distances for employees normally used to shuttle cars into the staging area. The company is studying plans to expand the robots to other areas.

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