Volkswagen Group Research and Kuka intensify their strategic partnership in the area of robots in service concepts for vehicles of the future. The aim of the research collaboration is to develop robot-based innovations for parking and charging of all-electric and autonomous automobiles.
An example is the Kuka robot that independently connects up the vehicle with a charging station in a specially developed application, while the driver has simply to position the electrically powered automobile in a designated parking space. The cooperation links up with an existing joint research project looking into human-robot collaboration called e-smart Connect, including practical and user-friendly solutions for charging high-voltage batteries of Volkswagen Group’s electric vehicles.
The Volkswagen Group is planning to launch on the market by the end of 2018 more than ten new electrified models, with further 30 models to follow by 2025. In parallel, Porsche will manage the ongoing expansion of infrastructure for quick-charging stations, and the Group is providing a vision for autonomous driving of the future with the Sedric concept car. Audi, in addition, recently established Autonomous Intelligent Driving GmbH for self-drive systems, a company aimed to carry out work for the entire Volkswagen Group. In photo, Matthias Müller, ceo of Volkswagen, Till Reuter, coo of Kuka, and Ulrich Eichhorn, head of r&d at the Volkswagen Group.