{"id":26927,"date":"2023-09-01T08:27:01","date_gmt":"2023-09-01T06:27:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.victronenergy.com\/blog\/?p=26927"},"modified":"2023-09-01T09:57:25","modified_gmt":"2023-09-01T07:57:25","slug":"driverless-ice-cream","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.victronenergy.com\/blog\/2023\/09\/01\/driverless-ice-cream\/","title":{"rendered":"Driverless ice cream?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Alright then, nearly<\/em> driverless.<\/p>\n

ERNI<\/a> the all-electric mobile, robotic ice-cream parlour has to be driven to site by a real person – but once it’s on location the robotic arm can work alone dispensing mouthwatering glac\u00e9s (and entertainment) for up to five hours.<\/p>\n

Reputed to be the world’s first mobile soft ice-cream robot, it has single-handedly \ud83d\ude44 lifted ice-cream sales to new heights in its native Austria.<\/p>\n

It’s fun, too. Perfectly-twirled ice-creams are served up following a series of immaculately-choreographed actions carried out by ERNI’s robotic arm – which is actually a production line device made by the Electrification and Automation division of tech giant ABB<\/a> known as the GoFa\u2122 CRB 15000. The ice-cream dispenser is a GelMatic BC Easy 2 PM.\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Customers, some of whom may be children, do not need to be screened from the robotic arm as it will stop if ever it senses even the tiniest obstruction whilst it’s concentrating on preparing ice creams which are accurate to less than 0.2mm!<\/p>\n

The vehicle which carries the ice-cream shop is a Piaggio Ape <\/em>from which the petrol engine has been removed to be replaced by a 48V electric motor.<\/p>\n

The resulting unit is a stylish non-polluting retro three-wheeler which is climate-friendly and licensable to operate within urban zero-emission zones. And because it has no diesel engine banging away, it can even be deployed indoors, in a shopping mall, for example.<\/p>\n

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The battery-based power system for these mobile vending units was designed and installed in collaboration with our Austrian distributor offgridshop.eu<\/a><\/p>\n

As you might expect, no available surface is wasted on the vehicle. Its roof and side panels carry PV cells which when raised into position form a convenient canopy for customers.<\/p>\n

Devices used throughout the power installation have been thoughtfully located by the ERNI team to maximise use of the limited space available on the Piaggio Ape. Removing the engine, gearbox and associated fittings provided valuable extra space.<\/p>\n

Tailor-made boxes to contain system devices are welded during the fabrication process using the GoFa\u2122 CRB 15000 robotic arm!<\/p>\n

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