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I never knew that automatic garages that can park your car without you even present existed. I knew the technology was available and that it has been undergoing testing, but I never thought that it was actually being used commercially. In addition, the safety record of these garages is remarkable. As with any technological device, there are bound to be failures and these garages are no exception. However, given the amount of accidents that occur in traditional garages, these automatic ones are quite safe and do not require any interaction from you. You simply have to roll up to the “pallet” and exit your vehicle. After that, the “robot” takes over (no one enters your vehicle once you exit) and will park your car in the underground facility. Since it eliminates the need for extra room to allow humans to maneuver in, a traditional garage can be transformed to hold even more cars.

Chinatown in New York City will be receiving an automatic parking garage that has the capacity to hold 67 vehicles. That sounds like a paltry number, however, the traditional garage it is replacing could only accommodate 24 vehicles. Here’s a brief walk-through of what happens:

A humanoid robot valet won’t be stepping into your car to drive it.

Rather, the garage itself does the parking. The driver stops the car on a pallet and gets out. The pallet is then lowered into the innards of the garage, and transported to a vacant parking space by a computer-controlled contraption similar to an elevator that also runs sideways.

There is no human supervision, but an attendant will be on hand to accept cash and explain the system to baffled humans.

Apparently, in 2002 in the town of Hoboken, NJ, there was an automatic parking garage that could accommodate 314 vehicles. However, since its opening, the system has had its shares of flaws. It has dropped vehicles and a malfunction has caused it to be unaccessible by consumers. The system in New York is said to have 99.9% efficiency and is priced to be competitive. In addition, the operator has acknowledged that his system is far more reliable and has had major fixes to ensure that the events of Hoboken do not occur again.

If you are interested in a space at the Chinatown garage, you can lease one spot on a monthly basis for $400 or for $25 a day. Larger systems with capacities exceeding 1000 can be found in UAE and Dubai. Soon, Florida will also have its very own automatic parking garage. It’s only a matter of time when the great city of Chicago will also have one as well.

Source: Businessweek Article

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