How would you feel about a robot parking your car for you? A new parking garage in New York is about to find out how people feel as they launch the 2nd ever robotic parking garage in the U.S. which will located in Chinatown.
Robot parking garages have done well overseas but the only other U.S. attempt had problems, actually dropping vehicles and trapping cars due to technical problems.
For those fearing a robot takeover, fret not... A humanoid robot valet won't be stepping into your car to drive it. Rather, the garage itself does the parking.
Driver stops on the pallet and gets out, the pallet is then lowered into the garage and placed in a vacant parking space by a computer-controlled contraption similar to an elevator that also runs sideways. There are no humans to assist the system, but an attendant will be on hand to accept cash and explain the system to baffled car owners.
The new garage is preceded by another robotic garage that does not do well to assure users that the system is safe. In 2002 a Hoboken, N.J. robotic garage launched and after 2 years of operation, in 2004 accidentally dropped a Cadillac Deville six floors and a Jeep four stories the following year. And just last year a malfunction that went unrepaired for 26 hours trapped cars inside.
The new garage claims they will not have the same types of problems, saying that
"Software-wise, machinery-wise, everything that has ever given us a problem has been designed out of the system."
"It is a complete virtual impossibility that damage can occur," he said.
The idea, in theory sounds great. No longer will you have to stop at a booth, pay the attendant, find a space, walk to the elevator and find where you're going... and then have to FIND your car when you get back, but the potential damage that could occur to your expensive automobile during the auto-parking process could cost you alot more than time, which will keep several drivers out of the new facility, it would be much better to spend 10 extra minutes parking than 2 months dealing with insurance companies... trying to explain that a "robot" smashed your car.
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