Gas-Pumping Robot in China Answers a Question Nobody Asked

When it comes to inventions, there are game-changers like the internet and penicillin. Then, there are conveniences, amusements, and life-improvers like crosswalks, Jenga, and pizza delivery. At the bottom of the list is this robotic gas station attendant, which is intended to improve our quality of life in some way, how exactly I'm not quite sure.

This video, which appears to have been filmed in China, shows a specialized robot opening the fuel door on a white Audi. It spins the gas cap with some dexterity, places it aside, and then retrieves the gas pump. A Google search for “gas pump robot” reveals that the technology has been tested in China for a couple of years, and a similar test is underway in Finland, according to a Freethink article from February of this year. This video was my first time seeing it in action, though.