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Automated Valet Parking Robot Shows Why We Need Self-Driving Cars

We like to park our cars. We take pride in finding the best spot, squeezing in those tight spaces that others drove by or pulling our car so close to the curb you can barely fit a matchbox between the pavement and the wheel.
Stanley Robotics automated parking robot 9 photos
Photo: YouTube screenshot
Stanley Robotics automated parking robotStanley Robotics automated parking robotStanley Robotics automated parking robotStanley Robotics automated parking robotStanley Robotics automated parking robotStanley Robotics automated parking robotStanley Robotics automated parking robotStanley Robotics automated parking robot
But there are moments when we wish we could simply stop wherever we wanted, lock the car and walk away without a care in the world. Unfortunately, unless we do that in front of an expensive hotel or restaurant where they have valet parking, that is just not possible.

Make that "was." Stanley Robotics, a company dealing with - you got it - robotics, has devised a system that lets drivers treat their cars as if they were luggage at a drop-off point. The automated valet is already in use at the Charles De Gaulle Airport near Paris, so the next time you head over to the French capital for some baguette and wine, feel free to test it yourself.

It functions in a pretty straightforward way, but the real downside is the very slow speed with which it moves. Drivers are required to park (wait, what?) their vehicles inside a designated booth, pay for the service and then just be on their way.

This is where Stan comes in, the actual robotic valet that can best be described as an autonomous lift with some fancy lights. Stan enters the booth from the other side, slides underneath the vehicle, jacks it up and proceeds to take it to some other part of the parking lot that is off-limits to the rest of the plebs.

Don't be fooled by the videos - Stan is really meticulous and in absolutely no hurry. The clips have their speed dialed up a few notches, which can be deceiving. However, what he lacks in haste, he more than makes up for in efficiency. Stan can stack cars closer together, thus increasing the effective capacity of the parking lot, which is always nice.

But the biggest threat to Stan's job is the introduction of autonomous cars. Even though there might still be a long time before AI can take over in traffic, we don't see why the AI couldn't be trusted with parking on itself. After all, what makes stan's electronic brain so special that can't be incorporated into a vehicle's CPU? You see, it's not just people who need to fear losing their jobs to machines, it's also robots such as Stan. Hope he saves enough during these few years he has left.

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About the author: Vlad Mitrache
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"Boy meets car, boy loves car, boy gets journalism degree and starts job writing and editing at a car magazine" - 5/5. (Vlad Mitrache if he was a movie)
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