There’s a JLR employee who’ll be working non-stop throughout the Christmas period – a robot called ‘Rudy’ that carries out a lifetime of door usage checks before a car is signed off.
Rudy the Robot is JLR’s ‘trusted automated colleague’ that operates in minus 40-degree conditions to ensure the durability of JLR vehicle doors.
JLR says that a full 12-week testing cycle is equivalent to a human lifting weights in the gym three times a week for more than 17 years – though gym-goers don’t tend to be working out in temperatures similar to those found in the North Pole. Rudy also operates in high temperatures akin to those in the arid Death Valley, California.
“This helps to ensure their durability and gives our clients the quality levels expected of a modern luxury brand.”
JLR’s Gaydon facility is home to a number of simulation facilities which allow the brand to test real-world conditions in a central location. It even has a tarmacked test track which incorporates speed bumps and manhole covers to help testers replicate real-life road hazards.