Robert Bosch GmbH has developed a self-parking system for vehicles that a driver can activate remotely through a smartphone. This self-parking system uses ultra-sonic sensors and video cameras to park the vehicle and will go into production this year, according to Tim Frasier, regional president of Bosch Automotive Electronics North America. He said that the self-parking system represents the next logical step for the development of driverless vehicles. A driver just needs to pull up the vehicle to an open space in a lot, activate the parking function and step out. Once outside, the driver has to activate an app on his smart phone to complete the parking maneuver.
He said that the system will work in any parking and will be especially useful in tight European garages. Its next-generation version, dubbed valet parking it will enable a driver to step out of the vehicle at the entrance to the parking lot then let the unit find its own parking space. The driver would also be able to retrieve the vehicle by remotely starting it up with his smartphone.
Frasier noted that valet parking is not yet ready for production. Audi AG was able to grab the media attention when it unveiled a self-parking vehicle at the 2013 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. The self-parking Audi A7 sedan featured a sensor developed by the carmaker to detect the parking space.
Seriously people…..what is so difficult about parking a car yourself?