You may never have to deal with parking again thanks to autonomous garages

By Lulu Chang July 24, 2017

Mercedes-Benz presents AVP: Bosch and Daimler realised Automated Valet Parking.

You may not hate driving enough to wish to automate it away altogether (there are probably moments on a wide-open freeway that you still enjoy), but parking? Forget it. If there is one aspect of being a car owner that elicits the least amount of joy, it is probably finding a place to stow that car. Luckily, Daimler and Bosch want to help with precisely that problem. The two companies have collaborated to bring

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autonomous technology to the practice of parking.

It takes form as an automated valet system, which debuted on Monday at the parking garage for the Mercedes-Benz Museum located in Stuttgart, Germany. All you need to do as a driver is pull up to the lot. Then, you leave your car and take a leap of faith.

Apparently, the smart parking garage features an “intelligent multi-story car park infrastructure” courtesy of Bosch. In order to take advantage of the infrastructure, however, your car will already need to have semi-autonomous capabilities (that is where Daimler comes in — it is the parent company of Mercedes-Benz). When the system is ready for public use, which is slated to happen in 2018, users will simply reserve a car by way of a smartphone app. The vehicle will quite literally come at your bidding and you can drive off at your leisure. Then, when you are done, simply park the car back in the drop-off area, and the car will drive itself back into its assigned spot.

“Sensors installed in the car park monitor the driving corridor and its surroundings and steer the vehicle,” Autocar Pro explained. “The technology on board the car performs safe driving maneuvers in response to the commands from the car park infrastructure and stops the vehicle in good time when necessary.”

For the time being, Daimler and Bosch say that this system is naught but an “extensive trial.” Even when it is ready for wider use, it will probably be both difficult and expensive to retrofit a bunch of parking garages with the sensors needed to properly guide cars to and from parking spaces. But all the same, it could herald a bright future where parking is no longer your problem.

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Fascinated by the effects of technology on human interaction, Lulu believes that if her parents can use your new app…

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The warning dates back from May, but was made public in an email to Tesla released on November 8.
The NHTSA opened an investigation in October into 2.4 million Tesla vehicles equipped with the FSD software, following three reported collisions and a fatal crash. The investigation centers on FSD’s ability to perform in “relatively common” reduced visibility conditions, such as sun glare, fog, and airborne dust.
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Tesla’s official website also promotes conflicting messaging on the capabilities of the FSD software, the regulator said.
NHTSA has requested that Tesla revisit its communications to ensure its messaging remains consistent with FSD’s approved instructions, namely that the software provides only a driver assist/support system requiring drivers to remain vigilant and maintain constant readiness to intervene in driving.
Tesla last month unveiled the Cybercab, an autonomous-driving EV with no steering wheel or pedals. The vehicle has been promoted as a robotaxi, a self-driving vehicle operated as part of a ride-paying service, such as the one already offered by Alphabet-owned Waymo.
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