Go deeper - join us!
The new hype
It seems that lately, grandiose hopes and ideas of self-driving cars and the auxiliary technology are filling the inter webs.
Forget about self-driving cars, automated parking is quickly becoming a reality as Daimler and Bosch premiered their new technology this week.
The future is here
No one likes to drive around finding a parking spot. It’s a hassle and a waste of time. It’s a surprise that technology such as this did not come to light sooner. They are calling it an automated valet system, and it recently debuted in the parking garage at the Mercedes-Benz Museum in Stuttgart, Germany.
The creators of the system, the companies Daimler and Bosch, feel that they have found a way to make parking structures more efficient, and use the full capacity without causing a traffic jam.
The most important thing is that they believe this can be accomplished without making major changes to pre-existing infrastructure.
Parking garages can be updated with this technology instead of starting from scratch.
High hopes
The system is simple and Bosch predicts it will be available to museum goers by early next year. To use it, people reserve a automated valet vehicle for pick-up then as they enter the parking structure, they leave the car at a designated drop off zone and check it in also using the app.
Everything else is taken care of by the technology.
The car will park itself in a designated spot and when users are ready to leave, they can use the app which will signal the car to return to the same zone.
Safety first
The main controversy with self-driving cars is the safety issue, and it is no different when it comes to this automated valet system. That is why Daimler and Bosch are taking all the necessary steps to ensure that the self-driving cars are operating safely.
After this debut, the system will go through an extensive trial phase where local regulators will carefully monitor the process.
Only after the system gets the go-ahead from these regulators and the local government, will they be able to be put to use. The cars and parking garages have already been outfitted with sensors that automate the process. This allows the cars to sense when objects are interrupting their path, such as people crossing the street, and have them react immediately.
Not too far fetched
Though it sounds like a pipe dream, automation is quickly taking over every aspect of our daily lives.
Automated valet is expected to be available in Germany as early as 2018, which will perhaps pave the way for the acceptance of fully automated vehicles.
