GENEVA MOTOR SHOW: Rinspeed reveals autonomous robot car

Every year the Swiss innovation machine known as Rinspeed comes up with an unconventional concept car for the Geneva motor show, and this year it's the Budii, an autonomous car featuring a robot arm, a pair of onboard two-wheel EVs, articulating roof lasers and a range of other unique gadgets.

Although not quite as endearing as the compact 2012 Dock+Go six-wheeler, which featured a docking trailer that doubled as a mobile disco, nor as offbeat as the 2010 BamBoo golf kart, the Budii is an intriguing vision of what the future of autonomous zero-emissions motoring could be like.

Based on the BMW i3 electric car, the Budii gets a visual makeover to provide an initial point of difference, and Rinspeed has stripped out the interior to replace it with its drawcard feature – a dexterous robot arm.

Integrated into the dashboard of the Rinspeed Budii, the robotic limb has seven-axis movement and is topped with a steering wheel. The idea is that if occupants want to manually drive the car they can. "The machine now literally reaches out to man," says Rinspeed.

The steering wheel can be positioned on either side of the car (meaning it could be sold in all international markets) and when neither front occupant wants to drive manually the robot arm can be positioned in the centre of the car and acts as a table or "attentive personal valet".

Other advanced features include an air suspension system which can adjust the vehicle's ride height by a range of 100mm and interfaces with a roof-mounted telescoping laser.

The idea is that the 'TrackView' module, which can rise 700mm vertically above Budii, scans the road ahead and automatically adjusts the car to compensate for road surface changes or obstacles – particularly useful in autonomous driving mode.

With so many sensors, radars and cameras, not to mention a giant computer brain, the car can even follow owners when they go for a run – view the video for evidence.

Rinspeed enlisted Harman to develop an advanced infotainment system for the small electric car, which features a fuzzy logic that will learn occupants' habits and "consequently reduces the necessary operating steps to a minimum".

The company calls the system "a learning and proactive companion". Who needs real friends anyway?

The creative cornucopia that is the Budii concept also features a pair of electric twin-wheel 'mini vehicles' – essentially Segway knock-offs – located in "retractable automatic drawers" on either side of the vehicle.

The vehicle's doors open and close electrically, the air-vents feature LED lights and there's even a "wellness shower" in the headliner. Better yet, almost every aspect of the vehicle can be controlled remotely via smart phone or smart watch, ensuring constant monitoring and security.