VAIL Demonstrates Autonomous Valet Parking System
Writing by Evan Ackerman on Monday, 26 of October , 2009 at 1:25 am
At the official public introduction to the Volkswagen Automotive Innovation Laboratory and Stanford’s new robotic car on Saturday, the VAIL showed off their latest foray into intelligent vehicle technology: an autonomous valet parking system. The system does exactly what you’re probably hoping it does: you get out if the car, tell it to park itself, and off it goes to do just that:
And of course, when you’re ready to go home, you just call the car back and it’ll be waiting for you. VAIL researchers are envisioning something like an iPhone app to control all this, but it doesn’t need to be any more complicated than a “park” button and a “return” button. The car does the rest, all by itself.
The most awesome part of all this is that the Volkswagen Passat used in this demo, Junior 3, is almost (almost) entirely stock, as far as the hardware goes. There are three different primary sensors in use: a front radar (which is available as part of Volkswagen’s adaptive cruise control system), a camera mounted in front of the rear view mirror (also available for night driving assistance), and a couple little off the shelf LIDAR units mounted on the sides. The LIDAR isn’t currently part of any option package, of course, but Volkswagen does offer other side looking sensors, like lane assist and blind spot detection. The only other major difference is the giant rack of computers in the trunk, but it turns out that the computer system is a standard package for Stanford’s autonomous vehicles, and the computer that comes with the car is actually capable of running everything. Bottom line is, we’re technologically more or less ready for autonomous parking already, with in production vehicles.
So what’s the hold-up? Well, the car currently can’t detect obstacles. Like, you know, people. There’s no reason it couldn’t do that with the current hardware, and that’s in fact the next step, but it’s still a huge liability issue that Volkswagen doesn’t want to tackle. The car also needs a detailed map of the parking lot, so you wouldn’t be able to just drop it off anywhere (yet). So when we first see this technology, VAIL envisions parking garages that are specifically designed for self parking vehicles. There would be a drop off area, and no pedestrians would be allowed in the garage, which wouldn’t need elevators, stairs, walkways, or even lights. This infrastructure isn’t ready yet, but the vehicle technology is here now.
It’s a little bit frustrating to robotics proponents like myself that in cases like these, it seems as if technology is advancing faster than society is prepared for. This is part of what VAIL is here for, though… To figure out not just the technology, but also tackle all of the related issues. There are a bunch of really smart people working on this stuff, and I have to say, if they continue making strides like this, we’re all gonna be worrying a lot less about driving in the near future.
Comments (11)
Category: Artificial Intelligence,Research
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Comment by Steven
Made Monday, 26 of October , 2009 at 11:04 am
This isn’t in any way new. Volkswagen has been showing off robotic self parking cars since at least 1993, and various automated driving technologies have been around in working prototype stages for well over half a century. The current problem is that while computers are very powerful, they are incredibly stupid. You not only have to account for people, but shopping carts, other cars, and many other constantly shifting variables, and unlike simple stationary obstacles, the position of a wandering child is much harder to predict to the accuracy that would be required for safe parking. Even the best automated cars driving on simple courses still fail spectacularly when compared to humans, and unless there is an unprecedented breakthrough in the near future, that will remain the case for quite a while. Who would want a car that can do a poor job driving itself when they can do a better job in a fraction of the time? Then, of course, there is the reason that the countless automated driving technologies of the past never caught on, and that is, simply, people love driving cars.
Comment by Evan Ackerman
Made Monday, 26 of October , 2009 at 1:05 pm
The new thing about this demonstration is the lack of any complex custom hardware. This is basically an off the lot car. And the best automated cars do a pretty good job, even on real world courses… Search BotJunkie for DARPA Urban Challenge to see some examples of this.
Comment by exequiel b
Made Monday, 26 of October , 2009 at 3:48 pm
To Steven;
People love driving cars, Not Parking them.. loll
Comment by LiDAR Mapping
Made Sunday, 1 of November , 2009 at 9:20 pm
Light Detection and Ranging (LIDAR) is a remote sensing system used to collect topographic data. This technology is being used by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and NASA scientists to document topographic changes along shorelines.
Comment by FM Security Home Technologies
Made Saturday, 16 of October , 2010 at 3:31 am
Home Technologies can sometimes be very complex but doesn’t need to be. FM Security can design an intuitive and simple system that is tailored to suit your budget and needs. Intercoms, Security Systems, CCTV, Home Automation, Sound Systems and Smart Wiring all no problems to us. Our Expertise doesn’t stop there, we service and repair all Valet Intercom Systems, Ducted Vacuums and can even sell the vacuum bags. THE RESULT IS A ‘SMART’ SYSTEM THAT ENHANCES AND SIMPLIFIES YOUR LIFE – NEVER COMPLICATING IT
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Made Saturday, 2 of July , 2011 at 3:19 pm
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