MAY 15

This video explains the whole process...but I sugest you turn off your speakers...unless you want to have the most awkward dance party ever.

Driving aimlessly is bad enough, so the only thing that could be worse is driving in circles looking for a parking spot. Then there are those drivers who deserve a special reserve space in hell for idling their cars waiting for a spot closer to the mall entrance because they can't be bothered walking a few extra feet.

A South Korean company may have a partial solution to that parking problem. There are more than enough cars on the road, but even so, there are even fewer parking spaces, especially in cities. Automatic parking systems, which have been used for years in Europe and Asia because of space constraints, are beginning to be considered in theUnited States.

MP Systems designed the software and technology that makes parking simpler and easier by letting computers do the work. The system can fit twice as many cars in the same amount of space and eliminate hours of combined engine use every day so drivers don't have to drive around searching for that elusive space. Drivers pull into a platform and technology does the rest. When drivers want to retrieve their car, they enter a code and the car is delivered back via the platform.

There's also another bonus. With automated parking, the physical footprint of lots are smaller and there are cost savings in the maintenance of these facilites. When people are out of the equation, it eliminates the need for climate control, walkways, elevators and even lighting. The biggest plus of all may be one that MP Systems hasn't even thought of yet: No more urine stains in stairway.

Comments (10)

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written by kornkob, May 15, 2008

I would love to see a photo of this parking system. I visualize something similar to the automated warehouse systems I witnessed in my career as a systems technician.
Autonomous forklift trucks that follow guide paths in the floor and utilize RFID, barcode scanners, and perhaps GPS that stack & pull from pallet racks that stand 5 stories high.
That's how I envision this system. Pretty cool but very radical. This is something that the Japanese would go for, but would be a difficult concept for American drivers to warm up to.

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written by Foraker, May 15, 2008

I would imagine that the range of car sizes, particularly at the large end, is much greater in the US than in Europe or Asia. I wonder what technical challenges that would add to an American system.

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Is it worth it?
written by Corban, May 15, 2008

Saves: Each passenger's time, gasoline, space
Costs: Some space, machinery, power to move said machinery.
Net benefit = Savings - Costs

Does the equation, from both a financial and environmental standpoint, make it worthwhile? For regions that have a space premium (Tokyo!) and whose passengers' time is extremely valuable (shopping area full of doctors, bankers, lawyers, engineers etc), it may be unequivocally good. For everyone else, do your number-crunching carefully so you know whether it works out for YOU.

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written by christian, May 15, 2008

i would imagine the time you spend waiting in line in front of one of the drop off points would get annoying. the process seems like it would take a while, waiting for the elevator thing to get to your floor and it would create a long line.

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Off-load time
written by Max, May 15, 2008

I have a similar concern as Christian - what does the wait time for a system like this look like? How many lifts can operate simultaneously? And what happens in cases where several hundred or thousand people are come to retrieve their vehicles all at once?

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Energy Capture
written by PJD, May 15, 2008

They could also capture the energy as each car is lowered and use that to help power the lifting of the next. Wouldn't even require batteries as the power could simply be feed onto the grid. I suppose that could be done with all office elevators as well, though the benefit would likely be greater with a car since the weight to friction ratio would be much greater.

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written by Robbert, May 16, 2008

@Foraker
Actually the range of sizes in cars here in Europe is pretty much the same as in the US. It's just that the bell curve is higher on the small side here, and Higher on the large side in the US. The system has to deal with them regardless

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written by The Geek, May 17, 2008

I've seen a video of a similar system that is already in use in Japan but for bicycles.

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RE: Off-load time
written by JOP, May 19, 2008

I understand that the retrieval times for these systems can actually be faster than getting your car out of a traditional garage - think no searching for your car, walking the aisles, waiting for elevators, etc. Instead, the software does all the work. They can be set up to support volume as well, for when waves of customers will demand service at the same time.

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written by M.v., October 18, 2008

I would like to know if anyone has a direct email or contact with the manufacturer?
It seems that everytime I try to write them a message on their website a notification message sign in Korean pops up and I have no way of getting my message through.

Thank you all

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