Parking By Remote Control
Posted on 16 February 2012 by Tendys W.L. in Technology
Technology just keeps on getting better and better, supposedly making life easier for everyone. Many people have played around with tiny remote toy cars, but now you can remotely park your car by remote control.
The latest piece of technology allows you to park your car using your iPhone. Just what else these phones will be used for remains to be seen?
The current iPhone app allows you to accelerate and brake, however if used in conjunction with Valeo’s Park4U technology, that is found in cars such as the Lincoln, Ford, Audi and Volkswagen, which uses sensors around the vehicle, as well as steering wheel control, the car is able to be parked from outside.
In a viral video a man is seen hopping into his very smart black convertible, ready to leave the parking slot. Suddenly a woman pulls up in front of him. She gets out of the Volkswagen Sharon and is seen reversing the empty vehicle into the next parking slot, by remote control.
No more straining to look over your shoulders and trying to guess how much room you have behind you. Just hop out, activate the app and bingo! You park your car by remote.
However, when using the Park4U system, the user does not actually control the steering. This is controlled by numerous sensors in the Park4U system, enabling the vehicle to park in 22 inches of clearance.
There is no word as yet as to when, or if, the public will have access to the automatic parking app. The other question is, what happens if there is less than 22 inches clearance? Does the app then refuse to park the car?
The BMW Group first presented ‘garage parker’ in 2006. The engineers have been refining it ever since. The aim is to save the driver the awkward gymnastics of getting in or out of a vehicle, or risking damage to the car doors, when in a confined garage, or parking area. If the sensors detect an obstacle the vehicle automatically stops and the hazard lights come on, to notify the driver that the operation has been aborted. There is also a restriction to the distance the vehicle is ‘permitted’ to travel autonomously.
Perhaps large parking lots will soon have a sign ‘Remote Parking Only’, allowing for more car parks to be created per an allotted area, with a view to increasing revenue.
However, in many countries it is illegal to start a vehicle’s motor from outside the vehicle, or to move the vehicle if the driver is not sitting at the wheel.
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