Tiny Robot Needs Suction Cups to Plug In Your Car

A DIY robotic car charger has been built, designed to autonomously plug electric vehicles into a wall outlet. The low-profile robot uses Mecanum wheels and LiDAR to navigate, an onboard camera with a special marker to align precisely, and cleverly calls the car's official API to open the charge port remotely.

The build solves a key physics problem: the tiny robot isn't heavy enough to push the stiff charger plug in. The ingenious solution uses two suction cups to anchor itself to the car's body, letting a gear assembly apply the needed force. It's a slick, amusingly over-engineered solution for those who find walking 10 feet with a cable just too much work.