A team in Germany is working on a self-driving car that can find itself a space in a multi-storey car park.
The project, known as AutoPlatz, will be put to the test in October when a self-driving car attempts to park itself on the sixth floor of a multi-storey car park in Stuttgart. Tests will see the car navigate a tight spiral ramp before finding itself a spare parking spot. The research is being carried out at the FZI automotive lab, a state-funded facility in the south-western city of Karlsruhe.
The self-driving car project is one of many taking place around the world, with FZI also working with Daimler on its autonomous driving technology. An FZI vehicle has already driven 110km (68 miles) through Germany and can drive on public roads roads throughout the country so long as a driver is present to take control if needed.
Thomas Schamm, head of intelligent systems and production engineering at FZI tells WIRED.co.uk the technology could be ready for public parking lots in the "next three to four years". "This will be one of the first things to come for automated driving," he claims. The system would allow drivers to step out of their car when they arrived at a multi-storey car park and leave the car to park itself.
FZI's system uses local sensors and cloud data to manoeuvre the vehicle, with parking lots also kitted out with special technology to make them compatible. Schamm says that for the system to be successful it is essential car manufacturers agree on standards for how self-driving cars behave in parking lots.
GPS is used when the self-driving car is on public roads but isn't suited for navigating indoors, Schamm explains. When the vehicle enters the multi-storey car park its sensors and onboard software create a detailed map and look for vacant parking spaces. Schamm says entire floors of multi-storey car parks could be adapted for self-driving cars, keeping them free of humans.
The system would work in a similar way to human-operated valets, with cars able to double park and reshuffle themselves as drivers return and call the cars back. Cars could also be parked closer together, allowing more vehicles to fit into already crowded parking lots. The system would be ideal for electronic cars, Schamm claims, with the automated valet system allowing cars to charge themselves while a driver is away.
FZI is also using its self-driving car technology to help small businesses test their own technology. Schamm explains this allows companies who can't afford their own self-driving systems to access the technology to test mapping systems and other experiments.
WIRED spent the past week in Germany to get the bigger picture on the UK's impending in/out referendum on EU. What, if anything, does the UK risk leaving behind? Read more of our coverage here.
This article was originally published by WIRED UK
