8:39 am, June 19, 2014
AUDI is launching a new communications robot to help its technicians in the US quickly diagnose and troubleshoot repair issues.
The innovative Audi Robotic Telepresence (ART) provides a one-on-one virtual link that connects dealers with expert technicians at Audi of America. This telepresence allows those technicians to inspect and help service vehicles as if they were standing alongside the local technicians.
This level of service precision is accomplished through ART’s physical design: the system is an advanced, remotely-controlled robot that displays the operator’s face on a screen while moving around the vehicle.
ART enables Audi technical service teams to interact and chat with service technicians at local dealerships, even while in a different physical location. An attached borescope and handheld camera allow the operator to further inspect engine components and other difficult-to-reach parts of the vehicle.
Dealerships with an ART robot simply need a wi-fi connection for a remote technical service consultant to access the device using a computer or tablet.
Audi’s Brian Stockton said: ‘ART was designed with both Audi technicians and consumers in mind.
‘The device will give local service technicians valuable one-on-one interaction with their counterparts at Audi of America, which will not only benefit the speed and depth of service at the dealer level, but create an improved ownership experience for the customer in general.’
Audi of America expects to have ART units in 100 dealers across the US soon.
Watch the system in action here.
