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Self-Parking Car Available In Japan

Posted by simoniker on from the or-try-the-monster-truck-parking-method dept.

sinjayde writes "Yahoo!/Reuters is reporting that Toyota has released a car for sale in Japan that is able to park itself: 'Toyota's new hybrid gasoline-electric Prius sedan uses electrically operated power steering and sensors that help guide the car when reversing into parking spaces.'" No need to rely on the reverse parking formula anymore?

10 of 352 comments (clear)

  1. driving test. by woodchip · · Score: 5, Funny

    1. buy car that can park it self
    2. sell driving lesson school for people who are afraid to parallel park on driving test. with the promise they can use car on the test.
    3. ????
    4. profit.

    1. Re:driving test. by bersl2 · · Score: 5, Informative

      sell driving lesson school for people who are afraid to parallel park on driving test. with the promise they can use car on the test.

      In some states, it is no longer a requirement to know how to parallel park in order to get a license. Therefore, even though I've been driving for two years, I still can't parallel park.

      Sad but true.

  2. Who pays? by moehoward · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Will your insurance company pick it up if you (I mean it) damages another car?

    In the US, these have to pass some rigorous gov't inspection and testing before they are allowed on the road. I don't think I want the liability.

    Is parking really that hard? Are people really that stupid and lazy? Don't answer that. Can I get a robot to feed me my cereal in the morning?

    --
    "If you want to improve, be content to be thought foolish and stupid." - Epictetus
    1. Re:Who pays? by LetterJ · · Score: 5, Insightful

      This is why I don't think we'll see cars driving themselves in the U.S. any time soon. They've built the vehicles so they can handle the freeway without a driver (some documentary I saw). However, even if the rate of accidents with self-driving/parking vehicles is lower than with real drivers (and I'd tend to believe it could be) even 1 accident would launch liability lawsuits galore.

      --

      The Glass is Too Big: My Take on Things
  3. Parking is easy by EvilTwinSkippy · · Score: 5, Funny

    Now find me a car that can FIND parking by itself. That I will pay money for.

    --
    "Learning is not compulsory... neither is survival."
    --Dr.W.Edwards Deming
  4. Not new by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Interesting

    This is not new. I've seen a similar system nearly 12 years ago used by a handicapped photographer at my high school. His car was retrofitted with a very similar system that would park the car by itself.

  5. Re:self merging cars,... by bfields · · Score: 5, Insightful
    what we now need are cars that merge onto highways for us.

    Unfortunately merging is one of the maneuvers that requires the most communication; in busy traffic you really have to negotiate with the other people on the road--signal and move over a little, watch to see if the approaching driver acknowledges you, and then, depending on the reaction, either move over a little more or retreat and wait for the next gap.

    Exactly the sort of procedure I'd imagine to be most difficult to automate....

    --Bruce Fields

  6. Reminds me of a bad card I read by zapp · · Score: 5, Funny

    On the front was a picture of a woman trying to parallel park, crunching into all the cars around her. The title was "Why women can't drive..."

    on the inside..

    Because men will tell them this is 6 inches:
    --> ==== <--

    Needless to say it wasn't quite the punchline I was expecting :)

    --
    no comment
  7. How stunt drivers do it by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    Get front wheel drive manual car with a very very good handbrake.

    Head towards the parking spot at a fair speed, as perpendicular to the spot as you can. Swerve car and pull handbrake and then brake and counter steer so that you neatly skid and slide in sideways.

    With this method you can park in a spot that's practically the same length as your car - just depends on how accurate you are.

    Getting out requires a bit more space - the length of the space must be slightly more than the diagonal length of your car. Pull handbrake to max, turn steering wheel max (to lock) towards side you want to exit from. Stomp on clutch, red line engine, release clutch, burn rubber and gradually spin car out of space.

    Not recommended in uncontrolled environments.

  8. Glad to see they put this in a hybird car. by ModernGeek · · Score: 5, Interesting

    I love the Hybrid car philosophy, it is a step away from gas-guzzling SUV's. This is a great incentive for people to buy a Prius over another car too, and the body on the new models look alot better than the older ones. My friends dad has a Prius, and it drives fast, and it rides ALOT more smooth than a traditional car. I just don't know why this idea was never embrassed before. Also, how come we don't have cars that can drive themself on the interstate? It doesn't seem like it would be hard at all, since they could just implement sensors into an interstate quite simply since it is all managed by the government, an open standard could be created by the Govt, and all the car companies could follow.

    --
    Sig: I stole this sig.