self-parking
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Ford's next-gen driver assist will swerve before you do
The trickle-down benefits of Ford's autonomous driving technology are making their way into more and more consumer vehicles. While Tesla might get all the headlines with Autopilot, Ford has been quietly rolling out smart, driver-assist features across more of its vehicles than any other manufacturer. Today, the automaker announced a new generation of technologies like evasive steering assist, cross-traffic alerts, pedestrian detection and enhanced self-parking that should make driving a little less stressful and a lot safer for everyone.
Tesla update helps users avoid self-parking mistakes
Tesla has issued an update for the "Summon" mode on its Model X and Model S vehicles, according to a Reddit user. The feature instructs your vehicle to autonomously park or come to you like Kitt from Knight Rider (though only at one mph for 33 feet). You now must confirm the vehicle's travel direction on the touchscreen, which should make users think twice about what's around them. The fix may be a response to a Utah user whose Model S rolled into the back of a trailer in "Summon" mode.
Nissan's self-parking chairs keep lazy offices tidy
While motorized human transporters have yet to truly take off, the folks over at Nissan have come up with something more practical for the time being: self-parking office chairs. With a single clap, these futuristic furniture will automagically tuck themselves back into their rightful positions, thus keeping your office or meeting room neat and tidy. And of course, it's also fun to watch, as you can see in the video after the break. Nissan says these modified Okamura chairs are actually tracked by four motion cameras on the walls, and then they are simultaneously controlled via Wi-Fi.
BMW's 7 Series lets you park by remote control
If you're looking at a BMW's deluxe 7 Series, the 2016 model will awe your yacht club pals with some Bond-worthy gadgets. The remote control parking appears to be a first for a production vehicle, even though we've seen it demo'd by Volvo, Audi and BMW before. When you use the touchscreen-equipped BMW Display Key, it'll squeeze itself into (and out of) a parking space in a fully automatic process. Self-parking is already available on BMW's i3 electric vehicle and many others, but the 7 Series is the first to let you park when you're not even in the driver's seat.
Ford announces self-parking cars, future 16 year olds totally psyched
We've seen self-parking automobiles before, but Ford's system -- part of the company's new power steering technology -- not only works on hills (unlike the Lexus), but employs sensors that are also used on the road to monitor blind spots and notify the driver of approaching traffic. The auto-parking technology is set to debut on the 2010 Lincoln MKS sedan and Lincoln MKT luxury crossover vehicle, while the new-school power steering -- which uses the vehicle's battery rather than its hydraulic system, improving fuel economy and reducing carbon emissions in the process -- should be popping up in nearly ninety percent of Ford, Lincoln and Mercury vehicles by 2012. Pretty soonish, by auto industry standards, but not soon enough for the nation's tenth graders, who will need to perfect their three point turns if they want to get their licenses before the Spring Fling.
LEGO car is better at parallel parking than you are
Now that all those cool kids are getting self-parking cars and being all big-headed about it, a fresh Mindstorms NXT creation has come along and put them all in their place. The SPC (Self Parking Car) can detect a space large enough for parking all by its lonesome, do the parallel parking deed, and then at your verbal command of "GO!" return to the road, ready to park another day. For a mere $249 (the price of the kit), you too could be this awesome, not to mention all the gas you'll be saving in the process. Of course, that whole "people moving" situation could get a bit sticky, but we're sure you'll work something out. Peep the video after the break.[Via TechEBlog]
NC State preps Lotus Elise for 2007 DARPA Urban Challenge
If the Cardinal (or Tartans) think that the 2007 DARPA Urban Challenge will be a gimme, they may want to sneak a peek at the looming competition. Students from NC State's College of Engineering are readying a highly modified Lotus Elise for next year's autonomous vehicle contest, and are working with Insight Technologies as well as Lotus' own engineering group to craft what's likely to be the sexiest unmanned vehicle on the track. Dubbed the Insight Racing team, the crew is loading the whip with "sensors and onboard computers that have been programmed to autonomously maneuver it through an urban setting complete with traffic, intersections and traffic circles." Moreover, the highly-coveted machine will be able to handle its own parking duties (and pose for glamour shots) when the day's done. After finishing 12th overall with just a Chevrolet Suburban in the 2005 Challenge, the Pack hopes its newfangled toy (and subsequent cornering abilities) can propel them to the top come next November.
Future BMWs will self-park in your garage
Anyone whose garage is so packed full of junk that getting in and out of the car is nearly impossible will appreciate a new feature set to debut on future BMW models that allows you to stand outside while your Bimmer parks itself (as well as unparks itself, we assume, or this tech wouldn't be very useful). The German manufacturer recently released a video of this self-parking wizardry -- you can catch it by following the Read link -- which shows a happy homeowner simply pushing a button on his keyfob to fire up the motor, retract the side-view mirrors, and send the car on a controlled journey to its home just inches from another luxury ride. The system leverages distance-sensing technology that we've seen before from Mercedes, Toyota, and the like, but requires a reflective lens on the garage wall to operate, which unfortunately precludes its use in public parking lots. Still a pretty useful feature, but if it takes three years to find its way into commercial vehicles as BMW anticipates, we'll probably already have the parking covered with those self-driving models we've been promised.
Toyota's self-parking car coming soon to US
While we may be stuck waiting until 2008 to see GM's self-driving car, US drivers may soon be able to sit back and let Toyota's Prius do the parking for them, as drivers in the UK and Japan can already do, using a $700 "parking assist" option. With the option, drivers need only sit back and control the speed of the car with the brake pedal while the car takes control of the wheel and maneuvers itself into place. According to Toyota, 70% of the vehicle's owners in Britain have chosen the option. Availability in the US hasn't been announced yet, only that it should arrive "soon." We -- and the owners of cars parked in front of and behind ours -- can't wait.[Via Slashdot]
