Just like Santa Claus, Rudy the robots’s job is a little repetitious.
While the rest of us are enjoying the Christmas break, Rudy soldiers on, opening and closing doors in the name of quality control.
Based at Jaguar Land Rover’s Gaydon Engineering Centre, the £2.1 million chamber housing Rudy is just one of the virtual and physical testing environments dedicated to delivering the next generation of safe, reliable, luxury vehicles.
Rudy opens and closes a test vehicle door 84,000 times over 12 weeks in extreme temperatures to replicate a lifetime of use on a vehicle.
Over the Christmas, period, Rudy will open a Range Rover door over 14,000 times.
The full test cycle of 12 weeks is the equivalent of a human lifting weights in the gym three times per week for more than 17 years.
Rudy endures temperatures as low as -40C degrees, mirroring average temperatures in the Arctic North Pole, as well as 82C degree heat equivalent to daytime conditions in Death Valley, California.
Rudy is responsible for testing the way a vehicle door opens and closes, analysing the sound and vibrations of the closure, the panel alignment and the rigidity of hinges and locking mechanisms.
During the test Rudy keeps his spirits up by talking to the car, to ensure vital door features such as flush deployable door handles work even in the harshest temperatures.
JLR’s Component and System Test Manager, Thomas Love points out a door is the first attribute of a vehicle which a client engages with, so it is vital this experience reflects modern luxury standards.
“From the way the door handle deploys in cold and hot temperatures, to the sound of the door closing, it is vital that every element of our vehicle’s doors remain refined and dependable throughout a lifetime of usage,” he said.
JLR’s investment in virtual testing forms part of its wider £18bn Reimagine strategy, with Gaydon home to a wide range of testing facilities including vehicle simulators, cold weather climate chambers, batteries, a semi-anechoic chamber and more.
There’s also 52km of tarmac, off-road courses, speed bumps and manhole covers, allowing engineers to put each vehicle through a range of physical testing regimes that mimic real-world conditions.
Good on ya, Rudy!
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