ROBOT PUMP DOES DIRTY WORK : NO MORE GAS ON YOUR HANDS.

Byline: Dave McNary Daily News Staff Writer

If you hate filling the gas tank, relief may be coming in the form of robotic technology used on the Pirates of the Caribbean ride at Disneyland.

Shell Oil Products Co. debuted a robot pump Wednesday at a station in Elk Grove near Sacramento that automatically dispenses gasoline while drivers remain in their cars.

Twenty-five more of the pumps - produced in Santa Clarita by HR Textron, the source of animation power for Disneyland's theme-park characters along with motion control systems for guided missiles and jet aircraft - are on order this year.

``The idea is to add convenience, such as letting people stay in their cars when there's inclement weather or when they have small children with them,'' said Eddie Green, Shell's manager of retail innovation.

The system is not yet available for use by consumers, since it needs governmental approvals and certification by Underwriters Laboratories. The Elk Grove site is being used for testing, Green said.

To use the system, customer vehicles will have to be outfitted with a credit-card-size transmitter and spring-loaded gas cap. Shell and HR Textron hope to sell the system to rival gasoline chains eventually.

``Our major challenge has been to do the systems engineering so it looks convenient and simple,'' said Phil Lane, HR Textron's general manager of robotics. ``We want this to become the industry standard. It's our task to make this as attractive to consumers as we can so we capture the full market.''

HR Textron recently signed an eight-year agreement to be exclusive manufacturer of the Shell Smart Pump system. That pact will lead to a ``significant'' increase in employment at the Santa Clarita plant, which has about 550 employees and is leasing a second building, Lane said.

HR Textron, a subsidiary of Rhode Island-based Textron Inc., also employs about 230 people at its Pacoima facility.

The prototype system is activated after a green light signals the driver to pull up to the credit-card station. Drivers then press buttons to select the type of fuel and pay with a credit or debit card.

The device then identifies the car and reads information about it from a plastic transmitter placed on the windshield, issues a receipt, moves its arm to the gas cap, uses suction to open the gas-cap door, inserts the nozzle and fills the tank. Green said the entire process of making a 12-gallon purchase will take about two minutes.

The system is designed to work on most vehicles made since 1987 except for those with outside-locking fuel doors.

HR Textron began working with Shell and Vancouver-based International Submarine Engineering two years ago to develop gas pumps at an affordable cost for the oil giant after Shell selected HR Textron's technology over 70 other proposals. Lane said Textron engineers and designers were able to cut 40 percent of the parts from the robotic arm.

The Smart Shell fueling device operates on a track above the vehicle and includes a computer, a visual identification system, a servo valve linking the the computer to a fluid flow, and an actuator to translate computer commands into motion or force.

Similar technology is used on HR Textron's autopilot actuators on the Boeing 747 jumbo jet, the rudder on the McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 fighter and the propellant valve actuators on the space shuttle.

Lane said it is too early to determine the actual cost of each system, but noted that Textron's agreement with Shell includes an incentive agreement for payments to Textron to increase if it can continue reducing costs.

Brad Spahr, president of HR Textron, said in a statement, ``This project represents the heart of our business strategy, as we translate our years of experience in the aerospace and defense arena into commercial and industrial applications.''

Other Textron divisions involved in the Shell Smart Pump include Textron Automotive Co., which is manufacturing rotary actuators and may provide trim components; Textron Systems, which provides technical support and may assist in development of the vision system; and Cone Drive Textron, which is being considered for the manufacture of the gearboxes.

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2 Photos

Photo: (1--Color) The Shell Smart Pump fills the gas tank for a customer at a service station in Elk Grove near Sacramento on Wednesday. HR Textron of Santa Clarita is producing the robotic pumps for Shell Oil, which is using the Elk Grove station for testing.

(2--Color) A windshield-mounted transmitter, left, and a spring-loaded gas cap are needed to use the system.

Associated Press