Bad At Parking? That’s Okay, Let a Robot Do It
If you are running late and can’t find time to park your car, don’t fret – a robot can do that for you — if you live in Germany, that is.
A German company called Serva Transport
has created a robot that will essentially pick up your car and put it in a parking spot for you. So far, they have installed the system at Düsseldorf Airport with 249 available automated parking spots.
According to CNN, the robot, named Ray, is meant for business travellers who are in a hurry getting to a flight. A spot can be booked ahead of time on an app or online. Then, once you arrive at the airport, all you need to do is get yourself and your belongings out of the car and press a button.
Take a look at how the Ray works:
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You can even enter when you are expected to return so your car will be ready. Ray will do the rest.
On their website,
Serva says
that up to 60 percent more vehicles can be parked in a garage using this system, as “Ray recognizes the size of the vehicle to be parked, selects the corresponding most economical parking space, and eliminates idle spaces.’’
According to Mashable, it costs about $40 if you pay per day or $5 if you pay per hour to use Ray.
If you don’t live in Germany, there are some other parking options that save space and utilize new technologies you might be able to take advantage of.
The CNN report also mentioned Boomerang RoboticValet,
another manufacturer that is currently building robotic managed parking lots in the United States, with one in Illinois, one in New Jersey, and a few in Florida. According to their website, Boomerang uses, “an omni-directional, battery-powered, robot that carries cars parked on self-supporting galvanized steel trays in any direction and spins 360° on solid concrete floors.’’
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In October, the New York Times wrote about Parkmatic, which is a vertical parking system “that can turn two street-level parking spaces into a dozen.’’ Parkmatic functions like a Ferris wheel and does not require cars to be moved when you’re ready to pick your wheels up.
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Thanks for the help, parking robots. Now, can we get some of these in Boston?
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