RNBRAD

Valet parking built in.

http://biertijd.com/mediaplayer/?itemid=39089

ImInPA

That's awesome!!! What happens if the garage requires you to stop and take a ticket? that would suck if it just drove itself through the gate. It could also be a car-jacker's dream come true. I would be afraid to use that feature, as cool as it is.

Tjdehya

Looks really cool. But it will probably never happen. Who will be liable if the car crashed or hits someone.
Yes we know that the car will be designed to not do such a thing but we all know that "$h1t happens"

BenzV12

WOW ,it also shuts itself down
Fully automatic drive is not a magic ,I know some car manufacturers conduct some tests in real environment as well .
Despite Park Assistant I can't figure out how to activate mine so I park on my own lol

K-A

RNBRAD's sig pic gives me wood.

EDIT:

Just please don't ever replace your E in said sig for a child at any time in the future.... this post then won't look right.

ghstudio

I designed a self driving car in college...and that was over 40 years ago....it's easy to design, easy to build now (wasn't so easy then) because you can do most anything with computers and sensors.

Clearly this is a lab exercise...you can see that in the slow speed of the reactions and the constant turning of the steering wheel. That would never happen in a real product offering. However, the biggest obstacle is and will continue to be the tremendous legal exposure....so it's very unlikely that this technology will be seen implemented in our lifetime, at least in the litigious USA.

So interesting, but something I would expect from MIT or similar schools (who would do it better).

Fung63

pretty impressive. but I like to park my own cars still. I like to know where it sits when I'm away (dont like parking beside beaters or high pedestrian traffic spots for example)

cdigiovanni

awesome, NYC garage attendent suck, always dents or crashed like one of my previous cars, rather take to ticket and park in the street.

hyperion667

wow, very cool tech, but very scary are the variables

listerone

And if the garage happens to be full....? The potential problems stagger the imagination.Well,mine at least.

BenzoBoi

I hope this doesn't happen. Can you imagine all the people using this crap in LA or anywhere for that matter while they "run into the store" really quick to get something There are going to be tons of cars with no drivers around EVERYWHERE!

alanme123

I agree with the legal issues involved. Let's just say another person driving their car crashes into your automated one. I wonder who's going to pay..

RNBRAD

Funny stuff guy's. good one KA, I'm reall tempted to put a little girl in my sig, but that may seem awkward as well. I had a good laugh though, lol.

I was thinking of the liability of something like that, but in many instances they say the computer technology is superior and less prone to error than humans. Could that be the case here? What's next? Send my car to pick up my son after school with no driver? Haha how cool would that be?

BM2BZ

let alone all the legal issues, it'll definitely irritate a lot of people if it can only go that slow. also, how does it know which stall to park? what if that's a reserved or handicapped stall ? by the time i'm done shopping, the car is probably towed 30 miles away .

Live Oak

Oh, yeah!!!

My last car ("BM"), my wife parked next to a 1973 Olsmobile [whatever88] 2 door, you know, with the 8 foot wide door so 300 pound grandma can get in back with a load of groceries.

WHACK!!!!!

Big . . . no, HUGE . . . dent on our car.

(And beaters cause brake pulsing in E550's)<G>

Nuru

Think of it this way. The first Automated Take off and Automated Landing Systems for commercial jets was introduced in the Lockheed L-1011 in 1970. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lockheed_L-1011_TriStar

Since that time, the Auto Pilot systtems have improved so much that all commercial jets and the Space shuttle included the auto pilot systems that allow them to complete entire flights without pilot intervention. Today's auto-pilot systems are very advanced and have a lot of miles on them (millions of miles since 1970).

Terrestrial Robots (UUVs, USVs, ULVs) and airborne robots (UAVs, offensive capable drones, etc), have been getting very advanced since 1986. It won't be too long before the type of driving shown in Stallone/Snipes/Bullock movie Demolition Man. Once they cut over to auto drive, it is going to be interesting as older people will be able to get around with their Robot chauffeured cars

hyperion667

oh boy! just what we need! MORE SLOW MOVING OLD PEOPLE!!!!!!!!!!!

Tjdehya

I understand what the point you are trying to make but there is still a pilot in the seat. If something goes wrong then they can quickly turn the autopilot off and fly the aircraft.

With this system, if something goes wrong then there is nothing to stop it from running over a 5yo child.

RNBRAD

Exactly, or it could be something even worse like running into my Benz.