Volkswagen, Kuka cooperate on robots for electric, autonomous cars

[July 07, 2017]  FRANKFURT (Reuters) - German carmaker Volkswagen and robot maker Kuka are expanding a cooperation to develop ways that robots can help drivers of electric and autonomous vehicles, Volkswagen said in a statement on Friday.

The logo of German industrial robot maker Kuka is pictured on a Kuka robot arm during the Hannover Fair in Hanover, Germany, April 25, 2016. REUTERS/Wolfgang Rattay

Europe's biggest carmaker last year announced a multi-billion-euro shift to embrace electric cars and new mobility services as it battles to overcome its diesel emissions scandal.

Among other, Volkswagen and Kuka, which was bought by Chinese home appliance maker Midea, are working on a system to hook up electric cars to charge points with the help of robots, Volkswagen said in its statement.

"The driver simply has to position the electrically powered automobile in a designated parking space. The robot takes care of connecting up the charging cable for the driver," it said, adding the two companies were also making plans to develop other concepts.

(Reporting by Maria Sheahan; Editing by Arno Schuetze)

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