BMW can automatically park your car
The luxury German carmaker has developed a system that parks a car in the garage at the push of a button on a remote control. Unlike parking assistance options already available on Mercedes S-Class and Lexus vehicles, BMW’s system doesn’t require your physical presence in the vehicle. You can stand outside and watch.
Why you’d want or need to do so is another matter. But cool tech is cool tech, I guess.
t’s called Remote Parking Assist and BMW demonstrated it in Munich earlier this week. The system will be available to BMW drivers within three years. No price has been announced for the option
It works by zeroing in on a reflective lens against the wall of at the front of the parking space. A tiny video camera attached to the Beamer’s windshield calculates the distance and position of the car, figuring in about 8 inches to the left and right sides of the car as it scootches into the space, using that reflecting lens as the homing device.
Sensors on the car calculate the trajectory, pushing the gas pedal and maneuvering the steering wheel as needed.
Here’s a YouTube video that shows it in action.