Slashdot Mirror
Toyota Offers Automatic Parallel Parking Option
dstone writes "For drivers who can't parallel park very well, relief is available in Japan. Toyota Motor Corp. is offering a $2,200 option package for its Prius (a gas-electric hybrid car) that includes a computer imaging system which stuffs your car into parallel parking spaces on demand. The driver must manually initiate the process and control the brakes while the car steers in reverse. Some might say if you can't master parallel parking, perhaps you shouldn't be driving. However, the article at Modbee.com points out that in Japan, streets are jammed and parallel parking spaces can be ruthlessly small. 80% of Prius customers have opted for this package. But will the car plug the meter when I run out of time?"
Free up some of that driving time for important things like cell-phoning, child-swatting, and make up-applying.
I have been pwned because my
Still interesting and all but old as the hills. The technology is even older than Toyota's products as well, handicapped conventions have had similar systems for years.
vampirical
Finally, there's hope for women!
Alot of the cars now come with a sensor that alrets the driver when aproaching the the car behind. Couldnt the automatic parking system make use of this? and therefore fully automate the process.
Parking Assist relies on a built-in computer, steering sensor and a tiny camera in the car's rear and works like this: A dashboard display shows the image taken by the camera. When you near a parking space and shift into reverse, computerized lines pop up on the display, along with arrows pointing up, down, left and right.
Using the arrows, you move the lines around until they define exactly where you want the car to be parked. Then you push the "set" button on the display. Keep your foot lightly on the brake pedal, and the car will start backing up, the steering wheel responding to an invisible hand. Voila, the car will park itself in the spot you've chosen with the arrows.
But be careful. Hands-free driving doesn't mean you can read a book or doze off. The system has no artificial intelligence that actually recognizes objects -- so it won't stop for a person or a cat or anything else you shouldn't be running over. You still have to hit the brakes yourself. And the system is designed so that it will shut itself off if you lift your foot from the brake pedal, making the car go too fast. Intelligent Parking Assist also will back you into a garage, and can "remember" three parking spots.
And now for the major limitation: The system works only in situations where the car can continuously back up into a space -- not for those tight spots where you must inch your way into a space by going back and forth, wrestling with the wheel.
>>esr>>
I guess learning how to do things on your own is going the way of the do-do bird, so to speak.
Slashdot: Where people pretend to be twice as smart as they really are by behaving like children.
. . . is there a program that helps you to get out of that parking space?
I mean it's all very well being able to cram yourself into a tight parking space, but getting out might just be a bit trickier.
What I'd rather have is a flying car that folds up into a briefcase like George Jetson's ..
IMHO. This is totally overkill for a car that drives like a golf cart.
It has to be able to get into the space in one go - it can't shuffle back and forward to straighten itself out. Apparently this is why the feature won't be offered in the UK - our metered parking spaces aren't long enough for it to be able to park itself neatly.
Anyway, it's an extremely cool feature and all, but is parking really that hard? Mind you, I'm the sort of automotive Luddite that thinks that power steering's a bad idea, so maybe I'm not the right man to ask.
when someone that programs these things gets pissed over getting screwed over on a promotion and misplaces a decimal in some "vital" formula on judging distance between objects and the car... or makes the car go forward into traffic instead of backwards into the parking space.... now multiply that by 1000 cars. Insurance companies will go bankrupt... then again... is this a bad thing?
This article is a DUPE!
HOW'S MY POSTING? CALL 1-800-POSTING
In the UK being there is a parallel parking component to the driving test. Not sure what effect it's had though.
--
This sig is inoffensive.
Reminds me of a comment made to my wife (English) while she was a student in the USA. She reversed into a parking bay at the mall, and was congratulated. "You must be British" they said "an American wouldn't be able to park in reverse".
Now before you all toast me, I don't hold this to be a general truth. But European cars are smaller and parking bays are often more crowded than their North American counterparts. And I'm led to believe this could be even more so in Japan.
So yay to anything that helps you parallel park in a confined space.
will they let him use it on his driver's license test?
...it could turn all four wheels 90 degrees.
I'd settle for it berating ticket-writing meter maids when I run out of time.
What pricks my curiosity is why large cars are such a status symbol. In a city like New York, you have these massive limos that must be impossible to park (I guess that's why you get one with a driver, so they can drive around the block while you entertain yourself). London seems to be riddled with big ol' 4wd monsters that never even see a national route, let alone go off-road. Admittedly the Smart car is a bit uglee, but if you're only going to be averaging 30mph and need to park to a short order, seems a sensible option...
My 2 coppers.
- Lnr
"Prove all things; hold fast that which is good." [KJV: I Thessalonians 5:21]
I can't parallel park for shit. I need a space before the empty space I'm pulling in to, and even then, I rarely get it in there nice and tight. In a pinch I can pull it off.
I kind of feel shame about it!
Will the insurance company pick it up if you (I mean it) damages another car?
In the US, these have to pass some stern Government 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?
HOW'S MY POSTING? CALL 1-800-POSTING
In other words those lovely metal bumpers as seen on SUVS. Just be gentle and alternate between forward and reverse ;)
Shhh.. don't tell your insurance company about this tip I have supplied..
I know nothing about lawsuits in Japan, so this may not be a factor.
But when I read the article (bad slashdotter, BAD!) and came to the part that said 'there is no onboard object recognition, so there is nothing that is going to stop you from running over something in the parking space.' I thought, oooohhhh boy.
I don't think this will make it to the US for this reason. If it does, then the first time someone runs over someone elses dog all hell is gonna break loose. People are gonna be saying that it is in fact Toyota's fault that they ran over the dog.
Stupid lawsuits, stupid people.
Come to think of it wew may never get that feature in the US no matter how good of a job they do.
Lets say a company does make a decent object recognition package for the car, is it possible for them to actually be 100 percent sure that the car will recognize an object in 100 percent of situations that come along?
Cause as soon as that figure moves to 99 percent then some doofushead is gonna argue that the object recognition feature takes the responsibility of running something over out of there hands and into the car manufacturers hands.
Nah, we will never see it on our shores.
"Park in that parking bay, Pirus"
"I'm sorry, Dave, I'm afraid I can't do that... and my air-conditioning unit needs replacing..."
(car runs over driver after geting out)
Sorry... had to be said...
Does this make my brain look big?
The other day I saw a woman parallel park, whilst on a hill (facing upwards), into a gap only just big enough for her saloon car. A real rarity here in the UK.
Its bloody hard to parallel park when your pissed :)
Seriously, this is just one step closer to the car that drives itself - its going to take a long time for the public and the laws to allow this to happen, but eventually it will happen.
You can't expect to wield supreme executive power, just because some watery tart threw a sword at you
I could have used that on my driver's test. I was doing great on my driving test until I got to the parallel parking bit.
Picture this, an empty suburban street. Just one car parked on the road. All I have to do is park behind it. 10 min later, my car is about 6 feet away from the curb, at a 30 degree angle.
The woman giving me the test looked over the brim of her glasses and said, ``You want to try that again honey?''
I wanted to say no, because I was actually rather proud of how close I had gotten that time.
But, I tried again, with the same result.
``Why don't we move on.'' She said.
In the end, she passed me, but with the words, ``You're a very cautious driver, but the worst parallel parker I've seen in my entire career.''
--
In London? Need a Physics Tutor?
American Weblog in London
But will the car plug the meter when I run out of time?
Why not. This would be technically trivial. You modify the parking meter to have rfid sensors just like those toll booths. So you pull up to the thing and it just starts charging your parking account. You leave, it stops. No more getting angry because you left 1hr for the other guy. Or realizing that you didn't bring any quarters with you. Or running out in the middle of a meeting to stuff the meter.
I happen to have a Toyota. But I've applied Occam's Razor to the problem. When I need to get the thing into a tight spot, I just kinda put my shoulder into it and nudge it sideways.
Two thousand bucks my !@#$. These things weight 100, 120lbs, tops...
My
Limekiller
pedestrians
Some might say if you can't master parallel parking, perhaps you shouldn't be driving.
Let's hope not. *pats driver's license*
Software Wars
How dare you! Men have just as much right as women to chat on cell phones, swat at their children, and apply make up!
Best solution I saw once to the problem of parallel parking, was a car with a set of small wheels which could be lowered when you wanted to park. They were mounted 90 degrees to the main wheels, so you drew up next to the place you wanted to park, dropped the wheels and "drove" in sideways.
;)
Of course the Italians won't need this device, if the space isn't big enough they tend to ram the other cars until it is
Philip
Signatures are broken
Women are fully capable of driving as well as a man--
Yeah, but they don't.
(And yes, I realize your post was satirical.)
You're a retard. Who said anything about women? I think you're sexist, for believing that only women can be involved in "cell-phoning, child-swatting, and make up-applying.".
I don't think he was being funny. His posting history doesn't lead one to such a conclusion.
Actually, the only sexism here is in your post. Nice try, but try again. :)
He did *not* say "Bitches need mo' time fo' talkin' on their cells, slapping the ho' kids, and puttin' on make up." :)
heading for that -1 Troll mod again
Like what I said? You might like my music
jeez, some people just can't take a joke...
I live in london and if a car is parked with one wheel up on the kerb and the backend of the car sticking out into the road you can almost :)
guarantee a woman parked it especially if its one of those "lifestyle" 4x4s that only tiny women with kids seem to drive. Maybe female ex-pats park well
abroad because they're the good parkers who got fed up with their car being bashed every time they went shopping and decided to emigrate
The French have a much simpler low tech answer to the problem.
Everybody leaves there parking brake off, then, the car parking nudges the already parked cars along to make a big enough space.
Anyone foolish enough to actually engage the parking brake gets dented both ends.
Old COBOL programmers never die. They just code in C.
Truth is, a lot of drivers out there are probably a hazard to the rest of us, but anything that assists them and makes them less of a hazard is a good thing in my opinion.
Just because you're good at parallel parking, manual shifting, and using a command line doesn't mean that anyone who can't do those things well is inferior.
This is old news, dating back a few months. On top of that, it's already appeared on Slashdot.
-Aaron
As I lived in many areas, I can say that Japan is easer than most middle/south part of western places in Europe. Although it is not as easy as California, Tokyo is easier to park than New yourk legally. Problem is there is not many legally parkable free places.
I can tell you Brussels, Munich, Paris are certainly toughr to park bit there are places to park free or minimal costa. No parting will cist $10/hour.
Well you really need to move to the Gold coast (a bit south of Brisbane) and check out the Queensland version of meter maids. These are bikini clad women who wander the streets looking for meters to plug, as "service" to the tourists.
.. would not be berating them at all .. lol
I for one
Check out out this Link for some info.
I am Slashdot. Are you Slashdot as well?
I saw an invention that allowed a car to move sideways into a parking spot on British TV, over twenty years ago. This obviously could be used to get out as well. .
It worked by lefting the normal wheels a little of the road, and used small wheels aligned at right angles to the main wheels. Rotary power was derived from the normal driving wheels.
They even had a camera under the car so you could see the mechanism in action.
I have often wondered why it was never developed commercially.
-Nivag
This would make my job as a valet a bit easier :D
"where words meet intent, lies rhetoric's lament"
and there'll be a disclaimer with words to the effect of "you have responsibility for the car" much like you do with power steering and cruise control.
In my experience, female motorists tend to be more worried about their wing mirrors being clipped by passing vehicles, and more considerate about leaving adequate space for the drivers either side of them, and park their cars accordingly.
I will, however, reinforce the grandparent posters point, albeit more directly. I was learning how to drive in the UK when I went on an long summer holiday to Florida. At the time I went over, my driving instructor thought I had a fair way to go (and I did) before I could consider taking a driving test and getting my licence. But, when I got to the US, getting a licence over there was ridiculously easy by comparison.
For one thing, learners in the UK (and in most countries) learn in manual (ie, stick-shift) rather than automatic vehicles, quite the opposite of their US counterparts. For another, they have a whole handbook of information that they have to absorb, with details on everything from road signage, stopping distances, driving in hazardous conditions, etc - from what I saw, theoretical knowledge is barely tested in the US.
Also, the most tricky manouvre tested in the US seems to be parking, whereas in the UK you also have to safely demonstrate emergency stopping, reversing around a corner, making a three-point turn (turning around the direction of your car in a confined area using forward and reverse gears), etc.
Nowadays the UK standards are even tougher, with two seperate stages, a theoretical test and a practical test, both of which must be passed to attain a driver's licence. I believe the standards in some European countries (such as Germany, if I remember correctly) are just as strict.
In some places, such as Northern Ireland, newly qualified drivers are required to wear special plates on their cars to alert other drivers of their rookie status, further ensuring road safety.
"Accept that some days you are the pigeon, and some days you are the statue." - David Brent, Wernham Hogg
How dare you! Men have just as much right as women to chat on cell phones, swat at their children, and apply make up!
No kidding.
--
In London? Need a Physics Tutor?
American Weblog in London
Actually his posting history looks like he has a liking for sarcasm, which, despite being the lowest form of wit, is largely misunderstood.
East Coast Brewers
As soon as I was done and ready to leave, I had one security guard on my tail who told me that I wasn't allowed to park in reverse. I didn't understand why I was being challenged at first, since this policy was indicated nowhere. The guard answered that if other drivers saw my car parked in reverse, they might attempt to do the same and that would create problems. [he didn't elaborate further]. On this I stopped arguing and turned the car around...
It struck me that something like this could only happen in the USA ! In europe people generally don't give a damn how you park, as long as you're not blocking somebody's driveway or garage.
Bigger bumpers!
The FBI and homeland security have been informed about your plans of running amok.
But a) it's not a troll,
and b) it's funny.
So shut the hell up, troll.
You know, you could just grab a couple of chairs, go to a parking lot, and practice for 30 minutes. Assuming you still have intact chairs, you should be able to parallel park just fine for the rest of your life. It's not that hard, but maybe some people would rather spend a few thousand dollars than 30 minutes learning something.
I've heard that some drivers training instructors are using toy cars to demonstrate how parallel parking works; some people can have a hard time visualizing it. I think the problem is that cars steer radically different when in reverse than when they're going forwards; this could be why some people have trouble backing up in general.
a car that will startup and drive itself to me when I whistle.
try { do() || do_not(); } catch (JediException err) { yoda(err); }
Two-stage licence, fancy manoeuvers, special plates on the cars, and now limited initial point capital (6 instead of 12 during the first 3 years of your licence: get caught running a red or DUI, and your licence is shredded AND you have to wait 6 months before you're allowed to start taking it again from scratch).
Nothing really changed on the actual fatalities reports until they started running fine-o-matic devices like there are in the UK.
i guess it's not such a bad thing that i almost failed parallel parking on my drivers test! whew! :)
-- Ed Avis ed@membled.com
Does Globalservers really think they're going to attract people by writing their ads in leet-speak?
I got my license in Missouri back in 1998 and had to parallel park. I was driving a 1978 Ford E250 conversion van for my drivers test. I had no problem parallel parking that and its a big monster beast of a vehicle. Parking is part of driving IMNSHO. Come on people. Whats wrong with learning to drive?!?! Oh, wait, nevermind, I forgot, talking about human beings, the laziest creatures on the planet. Still wonder how it is we made it to the top of the food chain so fast.
"Get Moose and Squirrel!"
Even with a very cunning driver (whether computer or human) you need some margin in front of and behind the car. But if you could just rotate all four wheels to point in the same direction you could easily get in and out of spaces no bigger than the car. This kind of four-wheel steering might be useful for overtaking and swerving as well.
-- Ed Avis ed@membled.com
how could you forget the most important thing to americas teenage drivers?
> "I allege that SCO is full of it" -Linus
story.. so.. old..
I think I first read this in a 1983 issue of National Geographic. Way to stay on top of things guys.
When I got my driver's license (well, permit), I was 14, and the only thing I had to do was take a right out of the police station, drive around the block (ie, four left turns), and take a right back into the police station and park in a spot in the (empty) parking lot. Also had to take a written test, but that's pretty easy, too.
Discussions of parallel parking algorithms is as old as parallel parking itself. Many universities and companies around the world have attempted simulated car models that will parallel park automatically.
A more useful feature on the car would be wheels that can rotate 90 degrees using a separate gear. The driver can simply line the car up alongside the parking spot and slide in without turning the steering wheel at all.
Not what my girlfriend says, but when it comes to parallel parking you only need 2-3 inches on each side. In Milan I've seen them park with that amount of space quite regularly. Then of course there's the French bounce method of parking where you just bounce the car into and out of the space.
Government of the people, by corporate executives, for corporate profits.
You can practice with Rush Hour
Ever heard the saying 'Give a woman an inch, and she'll try and park a car in it'?
SpamNet - a spam blocker that really works
That was already pointed out
I once parallel parked my car on the right side, got out (left, on the drivers side, of course), only to find that I just couldn't reach the sidewalk because I could not pass either in front or at the back of my car due to the lack of sufficient space.
On another occasion I had to park while a policeman was looking at me. I just couldn't resist bumping ever so slightly into the car in front of me. Surely, the officer went on bitching but couldn't do anything while I tried to keep a serious face.
Flourescent (adj): smelling like ground wheat.
Some might say if you can't master parallel parking, perhaps you shouldn't be driving.
Parking is a required part of the test to get a driver's license in my jurisdiction.
I can see this option being very popular with the parkingly challenged (trying to be politically correct) gender. It should also make their non-gender-specified spouses happy as it will mean less dings and scratches.
I'm sure someone could figure out how to crack the machines, but someone else could probably figure out how to work around that....
The last time I wrote code, it was Morse
It's serial parking that's hard.
Fuck the system? Nah, you might catch something.
I've tried to be open minded about this apparent misconception, but I've found it to be true (at least in my unscientific, limited survey). My mother, of course, doesn't share my view, but I gave he a test: when you see someone in a full-size truck or SUV do something stupid, see who's driving. 9 times out of 10, it will be a woman.
By no means conclusive, but it reason enough to sleep (so as to avoid white-knuckles and an accelerated heart-rate) whenever I'm a passenger in a female-driven car. As if the constant tail-gaiting wasn't enough (though some of my male acquaintenaces are just as bad).
-bZj
.sig
Parking is a very different problem than driving.
Boffoonery - downloadable Comedy Benefit for Bletchley Park
Yeah, because, of course, *nobody* understands sarcasm. I mean, nobody gets it all! It's not like it even gets used much around here, anyway.
--TheOrangeSquid Is it any wonder things seem so awry? We swim in a sea of confusion and don't have to think to survive
When are they going to invent something that helps (ie: forces) people to park between the lines in normal parking spaces? It's like pin-the-tail-on-the-donkey in most public parking lots.
Your dumb.
If they're *capable* of it, then why don't they *do* it?!
I've seen numerous studies which clearly stated women were more dangerous drivers.
I've done the written test in two states (Kentucky and Ohio) and the practical test in one (Kentucky). The written test in KY was more difficult, involving not only being able to identify major rules and signs, but also some parts where you're given a situation and asked what to do. (Including the legendary question, which is almost always on one of the 3 exams you might have to take, involving what to do if an animals leaps in front of your car. The correct answer is to speed up, should you get that question. ^_^ KY, go figure...) As for the practical part, in KY we had to demonstrate some simple driving around, at least one turn-around (driving past a side street, backing into it, turning to the other direction), downshifting if you were driving a manual car (in my family, the rule is that we take the test in a manual. After that, automatics are a snap), parking on a hill, and the parallel parking. Parallel parking is where a lot of people fail. Parking is done on an actual city street with cars (no sissy traffic cones for us) and touching the curb or, Heaven forfend, another car is automatic failure, same as running a stop sign or red light. Now I haven't actually taken the Ohio practical exam, but a few people I've spoken to say that parallel parking is not covered. *shrug* Personally, I think they're crippling drivers by taking that out, but eh. Then again, I also think one ought to have to periodically take a refresher course, say every 5 years or so, to renew one's license. YOu should have to prove that you still know the rules, can still parallel park, and, most importantly, that all your senses and reflexes are still in good order. But hey, just my opinion.
This sig has absolutely no significance and serves only to take up screen space and waste the time of the reader.
Does it run Linux?
It really depends on the locale. If you're talking about a suburban nightmare locale like say... Central Florida, then no they have no concept of backing into a spot (I lived there for 9 years, I know these things..they cannot grasp paralleling either..). On the flipside, if you go to a place like the NYC metro area, you pretty much learn to fit that car into a space the size of a shoebox at ANY angle possible.
Also, the type of climate of the drivers locale is a big factor as well. People who drive in places where it snows learn quickly to gauge the incline of the spot and then back in if its a decline to the front of the parking spot (slopes downwards from back to front). The reasoning being that if its snowing and you HAVE to drive you want gravity to 'pull' the car forward, which will lessen the struggle to get out of a snowed over or icy spot. This works for inclined spots too (rises from back to front) because most daily driving cars are FWD.
This was previously reported here on slashdot. Remember: coffee before posting.
The real quesiton here is: Does it play Waltz Of The Blue Danube while it fits your car into a slot!
yush
the manufacturer could install landing gear at 4 corners of the car. To park the car, you press a button, the landing gear will slide perpendicular to the line of motion of the car. Thus the parallel parking problem is solved.
In California, Zero Emission Vehicles (not the Prius, but now-obsolete electric cars) can drive in the diamond lane with only one driver.
In most places in the U.S. you're able to get a drivers license when you turn 16. Some states though require you to pass a driver's education program to get your license when you're under 18. (Once you're 18, its a free-for-all.)
I learned to drive in Northern Virginia. I had to repeat driver's ed. after failing the highway portion. (I did avoid driving into a freeway barricate, but just barely.)
In Texas and Oklahoma, where I have my current residences, it's more liberal. Driver's education is usually private, and it's not strictly required. You just have to pass the road test and written test to get your license, and have parental approval. Needless to say, people in Oklahoma drive like maniacs, with a very slight improvement once you cross into Texas.
It's good to use your head, but not as a battering ram.
But, when I got to the US, getting a licence over there was ridiculously easy by comparison.
Getting a license in the UK is a very difficult (and sometimes expensive) thing. There was an article about the dispairty a few years ago in (I believe) the Washington Post...
Don't get me wrong, there is a theoretical test in some US states(Well, multiple choice). If you go through drivers ed (lots of theoretics, lots of driving practice, including emergency stuff and changing a tire, etc.) you can get your "Senior" license early (at least in NY state) and my test not only had a three point turn but me parallel parking against an expensive sports car (you REALLY don't want to mess up!). But NJ and MD have you taking a drivers test in a PARKING LOT. Yep. How is that a test of driving skill?
In the future, I would want to not be isolated from my friends in the Space Station.
I agree if you can't parallel you should drive. Its not hard. If I can get my 64 chev impala into spots in sydney CBD and balmain, surry hills etc, they can park their little priuses (prii?). My beast is over 6 metres long and close to 2 metres wide.
-- Karma Karma Karma Karma, Karma Chameleon - Boy George
Metered parking would pobably not make that much, except for the 20+ dollar ticket they give you if you miss judge your time.
Read the article.
The article states that it is unlikely Toyota will offer it in the US. This has been hashed time and again - here and ther places. Many of us on various Prius chat boards (Yahoo Groups, Priuschat.com) speculate that it's due to the litigus nature of us Americans that Toyota won't offer it. They're afraid we'll sue them the moment we use it incorrectly and hit something or someone.
I can imagine it now. If they did offer it, we'd have to click 3 screens of disclaimers, then sign the touch screen with a special pen releasing Toyota from all liability should your use of the system result in a parking fender bender or the running over of Granny Jones's teacup poodle. Even then, I can see hungry (or budding) lawyers bringing up hundreds of lawsuits over it.
Sorry guys, until we get a clue, we'll never see it here in the states. And even then, I'm not sure I'd want it in either of my Prius (I have two - a 2002, and a 2004).
$ man woman *
-bash:
BMW is coming out with this option in a few years as well. Along with their Active Cruise control and Active steering this is a welcomed option.
100% Insightful
I have an '03 Nissan Murano with CVT and dynamic AWD. It is by far the most intelligent car I've ever driven. You can just about look in the direction you want to go and it gets you there, with ease and command. My experiences in snow driving this year had me mentally developing a commercial that shows someone driving in summer while everyone else is driving in winter weeks before the commercials actually started showing up every 10 minutes.
"Stab it and steer, peanut!" - Nicholas Cage, "Wild at Heart"
Intelligent Life on Earth
Which in the end, doesn't stop a frivilous lawsuit.
A disclaimer nowadays is only an effort to inform.
It's kinda like license agreements. Who reads em? Most just "accept" and move on. Same will happen w/ the parking.
The Prius Navigation system already has a disclaimer that you agree to operate the system safely and not while driving. Most of us simply press I Agree to move on to w/o reading anymore. It's most of those people who also sue.
Then again, I'm not most people and am not going to sue Toyota if I crash because I'm mapping. But will the guy I hit in front of me? They never read the disclaimer, however.
$ man woman *
-bash:
GMC is now offering four-wheel steering on some of their trucks and they use parallel parking as an example in their commercial. When I was a kid I saw a cartoon that had a car that turned all four wheels perpendicular to the road and drove the car straight into the parking space. I can't remember which studio but I think it was meant as a gag on the "products of the future"-type shows. I still think that would be a neat idea.
I wouldn't say I'm a bad gambler but the last time I went to Vegas I even lost a buck on the soda machine.
Just buy a winch for your SUV. Then you're never out of room.
Try doing that in New York, you wanker!
"Some might say if you can't master parallel parking, perhaps you shouldn't be driving." Some people are utterly convinced that four-wheel drive in the snow means you can drive like an idiot. Some people are also convinced that putting a sign in the window to the effect of "Baby on Board" will automatically make other drivers care about them and avoid them, and don't realize that the very premise of that sign is accusing other drivers of not driving well. Some people have forgotten how to use their turn signal, whether it be a lane change or a tire-spinning madman rush through 4 lanes of traffic. Some people think it's OK to sit in the passing lane when moving only 1 mph faster than the person they are passing. Some people think that because they drive a big truck the world has to conform to them (not all, but there are many clear-cut cases of moron truckers). Some people think flashing your lights at someone is a perfectly legitimate way to get an entire line of vehicles out of your way. And "some people" want to claim that parallel parking defines driving? How's about the author of this blurb saves the pathetic attempts at editorial commentary and just gives us the news. Hell, my high school didn't even teach parallel parking, as there wasn't really anywhere it could be practiced/used - I had to teach myself once I got to college...
Since cars are simply running out of features to add, most manufacturers are doing this. BMW and Mercades already have it working also and are waiting on more approvals and testing. It will be very interesting to see how the lawsuits turn out when this thing screws up and wrecks cars.
It's interesting that many of these new vehicle features are doing more and more active monitoring of the car's surroundings. Reverse distance warning systems use ultrasonic emitters in the rear bumper to keep you from hitting small animals, etc. when backing up. Radar in the front grille monitors the speed of the car in front of you for distance-based (following) cruise control.
I wonder how long it will be before cars have HUD's that put hash marks around all other cars on the road and tell you their distance (from your car) and speeds...
Some pepople are utterly convinced that their SUV with 4-wheel drive gives them complete license to drive like an oblivious moron at the first sign of bad weather.
Some people have forgotten how to use their turn signal, whether it be to signal a lane change or to tear blindly across four lanes of traffic.
Some people are convinced that putting a sign to the effect of "Baby on Board" will actually help other drivers to realize that "This vehicle must be kept safe!" while completely neglecting the fact that the very premise of the sign accuses every person that reads it of being a bad driver.
Some people sit in the passing lane, averaging a whole 1 mph more than the person they are passing.
Some people intentionally ride in your blind spot, then honk wildly and make some interesting gestures when you try to change lanes (sometimes they even tell you "You're number 1!" with a single gesture). And some people think parallel parking ability defines the driver? Some people are utter morons. How's about the author spares us the pathetic attempts at social commentary, and just present the article. Hell, my high school didn't even teach parallel parking, there was no way to practice it (even though we're a suburb of Chicago). I had to teach myself once I got to college....
Where from ?
Years ago, I saw a much simpler, low tech solution on the BrainSucker. The footage was in B/W, so I assume it was an invention from the 50's or 60's.
A vehicle was equipped with a small(er) wheel in the back. When not in use, the wheel was raised up, recessed into the trunk area.
The driver need only drive into a parallel spot. When the 'parking wheel' was engaged, it would lower out of its recess, lifting the back wheels of the vehicle off of the ground. Power (electric?) would be applied to the wheel, rotating the back end of the car into the space. Voila!
To exit, reengage the wheel, rotate the rear end out, then reverse out of the spot.
It seemed quite simple to me. I don't know much if anything about hydrolics, etc, but I imagine the mechanism couldn't be that large. I would certainly be minimal tech
Four hydraulic jacks (two on the Piaggio Ape, which is sort of a trike version of a Vespa) that push the vehicle up on four small plastic wheels which are oriented sideways. You get next to the parking space, lift the car, and push it in. I've done this since I was fifteen and would like to know what the big deal is -- I was also told it wasn't patentable because it's trivial.
Parallel Parking Challenge
In this action-packed game you experience the unique challenge of parallel-parking in several world cities, including London, Milan, Moscow, Helsinki, Seoul and Sao Paulo!
The enhanced ImmersionEngine renderer delivers the most spetacular views from inside your car and there's also a playback mode, from which you can record and share your best performances, using a software high performance pixel renderer.
There are several gameplay modes, including timed parking, precision parking, pressure parking (where you have to park while VR-kids and wife bitch at you, while a cop is looking at you from the outside). Multiplayer mode is also supported, you can hook up to 8 players, through the i-Link extension port. It supports the Logitech Driving Wheel.
It also includes a wide array of cars, imports and US-made. The newest Toyota Prius with automated parallel parking is also included. All cars' interiors are finely detailed, as well as their unique sounds.
Don't miss! In stores in February!
Parallel Parking Underground will be in stores this summer, and it will allow you to tune your car, for extreme parallel parking performance. Buy Parallel Parking Challenge now and get a 50% rebate on Parallel Parking Underground!
ESRB rated M. Available for the X-Box and the GameCube in March.
You need to remember that a contract signed by the driver of the car doesn't necessarily have any baring on the VICTIM's (e.g., pedestrians) right to sue any and everyone they believe to be at fault.
SEOUL, Wednesday - Human rights groups blast Toyota Motors for including a contraversial option in their Prius line which allows for automatic parallel parking. While many experts hail this as a significant achievement, some civil rights groups are outraged. "Toyota is playing up an ugly stereotype that driving while oriental is as dangerous as driving while intoxicated with this feature" says Chi Min Kim, head of the Oriental Motorists anti-Defamation League. The group has announced a boycott across Toyota's entire product line until Toyota issues a public apology.
Toyota Motors could not be reached for comment.
Who needs fancy Japanese computer parking systems? Just study Shaolin Kung-Fu and park your car with the flick of a wrist!
For those who have no idea what I'm talking about, I highly highly highly recommend seeing the movie Shaolin Soccer. You can't buy it legally here on account of Disney buying the rights and shutting down vendors, but you can probably get it shipped.
-Elentar
The wheel it turns, around and around, with an ancient rumbling sound.
I saw the Smart cars in the U.K. last year and knew that's EXACTLY what I need for my commute. I don't drive far, use good roads and just need to plunk it in any small spot. Currently my 95 Tercel fits the bill but having a car with a big Mercedes badge on the front would add to the status just a tad. :-)
The Smart site indicates that discussions are underway to introduce the City Coupe in Canada at some point. I'm not holding my breath but if they are looking for test drivers.....
If you don't want to repeat the past, stop living in it.
Eric S Raymond (234230)
http://slashdot.org/~Eric%20S%20Raymond
Come on. Do you really think a guy who supports so many open source projects, and has his own online will to take care of those project would have a slashdot ID of 739458?
I really don't care what you say, it's even a bit funny, but quit pretending to be someone your not.
Here
If you don't want to repeat the past, stop living in it.
Here in Paris (France, not Texas), it is sometimes hard to find a parking space.
In fact, the locals have a special technique, which makes full use of the bumpers... When you park your car, you shouldn't pull the hand brake (parking brake) too hard; you want your car to be nudgable...
Now, getting back to the point of the article, it's all well and good having a system that parks your own car into a tight space, but how is this going to stop the arsehole in his F150 from breaking your poxy little plastic bumpers, when he decides to gently nudge your little yoghurt pot in order to fit his pickup into a space the size of a Micra?
.
I would say that Montreal is also a city of insanely small parking spaces...
While there's definitely deminishing returns (and the entrance is the all important key), a good series of wiggles can fit pretty much any car into a spot that is size(car) + 6 inches. If you're really good or your car turns well, size(car) + 4 inches will do.
That all gets a whole lot more difficult when you have a 2ft snow bank in the spot you're hoping to wedge your car into.
Come, drive in Montreal! It's fun! (just rubberize your car first...)
No Clue
http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=03/09/01/195825 2
Shouldn't the folks approving articles check to
see if the story has already been posted before?
-Michelle
owner of a 2001 US and 2004 US Toyota Prius
co-moderator of http://autos.groups.yahoo.com/group/toyota-prius/
-mrv
Correct, there's no clutch and what the Prius does isn't what you think of as "shifting".
The Prius CVT is much cleverer and simpler than the usual cone-shaped gear.
There's an explanation and a Flash animation at http://www.howstuffworks.com.
The entire transmission consists of one constant-mesh planetary gear assembly. The outer ("ring") gear is permanently connected to the electric drive motor-generator and to the differential. The "planet" gears are on a carrier permanently connected to the gas engine. The central ("sun") gear is permanently connected to the motor-generator that sits between the gas engine and the battery pack, and which serves as both the starter and the battery charger.
The magic is that the onboard computer, by rerouting electricity to/from the battery pack, can set the speed of the sun gear independently of what else the car is doing. Once that speed is set, there's a sort of gear ratio between the gas wheels and the engine. That ratio can be set to infinity when the car is running in pure electric mode, or to zero during warmup, the only time when the gas engine idles. A gear ratio of zero eliminates the need for a clutch.
Looking at it mathematically, the planetary gear system is one linear equation in three unknowns (the speeds of the gears). Set one unknown, the speed of the sun gear, and it's one (linear) equation in two unknowns. Solve that and you've got a linear relationship.
Looking at it physically, because the gears are always engaged and always have the same number of teeth, there's a fixed torque split. Because rotation speed can be changed, and power is torque times rotational speed, there's a changeable power split.
Looking at it in engineering terms, there are no clutches to wear out, no fluid couplings to leak, and no friction bands to go bad. The count of moving parts is breathtakingly low. It's one of the most elegant achievements of mechanical engineering and helped win the Prius the Society of Automotive Engineers award for Best Engineered Car of 2001.
Ever heard the saying 'Give a woman an inch, and she'll try and park a car in it'?
Here we go, begging for a "-1, cliche" mod...
We can't help it. All our lives we've been told that this [holds up thumb and forefinger] is eight inches.
Don't you wish your girlfriend was a geek like me?
You know what they say about men who drive big cars.
(Although nothing much seems to have been said about women who drive SUVs...)
SpamNet - a spam blocker that really works
You know what they say about men who drive big cars.
Better than that... one day, I was driving down the street, and saw a early-'90's Honda Civic Coupe with a license plate frame that read: "Men who drive small cars... have big peckers."
He was cute, too. I thought about honking and waving... but I think I had a boyfriend at the time already.
Don't you wish your girlfriend was a geek like me?
if you cant park in the first place, what difference is it going to make if the car is doing the turning for you. your still going have to work the brake.
But, I do notice consistantly, that at an intersection, women typically are about 1/2 to 2/3 a car length back from the line you stop at., while most men are pretty much right at the line.
Light travels faster than sound. This is why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.........
1. Position your car so that the back is directly level with the back of the car you want to park behind. You should be about 1 or 2 feet *max* away from the car horizontally.
2. Reverse *slowly* while putting the full lock on. Keep looking in your side mirror. (Safety note: don't forget that when you turn in, your car will move out into traffic, so check that it's safe). Once you're about one foot away from the kerb or 'sidewalk' should I say, then start taking the lock off to straighten up the wheels.
You've just done a parallel park. It's easy!
CNN had a writeup on this September 1st of last year.
I posted it on my site September 2nd.
It was even on slashdot that same day.
Or was that an "it's coming" article, and this is an "it's here" article?
GMC is now offering four-wheel steering on some of their trucks and they use parallel parking as an example in their commercial. When I was a kid I saw a cartoon that had a car that turned all four wheels perpendicular to the road and drove the car straight into the parking space. I can't remember which studio but I think it was meant as a gag on the "products of the future"-type shows. I still think that would be a neat idea.
It was one of Tex Avery's famous futurist cartoons, "The Car of Tomorrow." Other cartoons he did in this genre include "The Farm of Tomorrow" and "The House of Tomorrow." IIRC these cartoons were meant to spoof actual futurist publications.
This option was offered in japan first because of the aa-safe-way asian women's driving school movie (just smile, ok?)
The Volkswagen automatic parking system of a decade ago was better.
What's really needed are low-cost 3D imaging laser rangefinders, to get an unambiguous picture of the nearby obstacles. Such devices are quite possible if there's a market for them. Today's laser rangefinders are big and clunky, but that's due to the tiny size of the market.
It's coming. Two no-moving-parts 3D laser rangefinders exist in prototype right now. One is too low power and doesn't have enough range. The other is too high power and isn't eye-safe (the application is antiaircraft missile guidance.) In a few years, this technology should filter down to the robotics and automotive communities.
> Your dumb.
His dumb what? You are (you're) just dumb.
> Although nothing much seems to have been said about women who drive SUVs...
They are making up for their husbands' small penises. Easy.
They don't get fulfilled at home, so they make sure to fuck everyone they can on the road.
That's the one I was thinking about. Thanks for the link, sure brings back memories from when I was a kid.
I wouldn't say I'm a bad gambler but the last time I went to Vegas I even lost a buck on the soda machine.
One of my friends cant really handle forward parking! let alone reverse it takes about 10-20 backwards and forwards cycles to get in and im not exagerating! (or spell checking) I think slowly bit by bit these minor things will get replaced by automatic systems until it all pretty much goes auto.
This comment does not represent the views or opinions of the user.
in virginia parallel parking is no longer required to get a licence. aparentally it hasn't been for like 10 years. does this bother anyone but myself?
There are 10 kinds of people: those that understand binary code and those that dont
Of course, this is only a good idea if everyone has four wheel steering - Otherwise, the poor sucker without it who comes back to find cars an inch off the front and rear of his bumper is going to be kinda pissed.
Why?
q: why can't helen keller drive?
a: because she's a wo- *thwack* ouch!
Those are my principles, and if you don't like them... well, I have others.
Groucho Marx
You forgot to include that the parents or guardians learned driving the same way.
The people who are teaching the teens how to drive DON'T HAVE A CLUE how to drive.
The young drives are learning the same bad habits and techniques there parents use. The freighting thing is that both have licenses.
On the other hand at least the parents have a designated driver for the drive back from the bar.
Ah, that would explain it.
And at the risk of sounding patronising (I don't mean to), well done for the correct use of an apostrophe with "husbands'". It does annoy me when people can't write, but if I comment about it here everyone calls me a grammer nazi.
SpamNet - a spam blocker that really works
a.) cost, replace every meter in the city and add a reader to every car, and get this entire thing seamlessly automated with bank accounts. oh sure it's so easy ;P
b.) it kills gov't ticket revenue which makes them a hell of a lot more money than your shitty quarter an hour.
I distinctly remember an episode of "Beyond 2000" in which they show a prototype of a car than can parallel park itself.
Not too bad at all, it's only 4 years "Beyond 2000" and these things are showing up.
LK
"Hi. This is my friend, Jack Shit, and you don't know him." - Lord Kano
road rage and I'm sitting at my desk!
Yes. I am from Boston. So?
I don't understand why so many people think beginners should learn to drive using a stick-shift instead of an automatic. A beginner behind the wheel is usually uncomfortable, confused, and a hazard to others no matter what transmission he/she is using. Using an automatic gives the beginner one less thing to learn/think/worry about. Let the beginner master everything else about driving before learning how to use the left foot and right hand.
This should leave the driver with both hands free to make the appropriate hand signals to the cars behind that are honking. Seriously, the worst thing about parallel parking is that the cars usually follow too close to allow you to back into a place.
JET Program: see Japan, meet intere
Here in PR the test is quite easy, except the fact we must drive different than in reality. For instance, we seldom stop on merges, don't stop before the stop line, park close to the curb (even new streets here are narrow), etc. etc... Here's something more complete about driving in PR: http://arlenerios.tripod.com/drivingpr.html
Parallel parking is a necessity in PR metro area. Where I lived I had to parallel park outside. It was not only crowded, it was in a curve - making more difficult measuring. And my car didn't have power steering - impossible to parallel park with one hand! I think it took me a month or two to get comfortable with it. In PR there is one car for every three adults, so there it is necessary to park anywhere there's a space.
I think in PR people with enough money would buy the system, at least for their wives with their huge SUV's or minivans. I havent's seen a Prius in PR. Gas is cheaper than in the US, and the goverment don't offer incentives.
I've actually read a better description of the system at http://bhptorque.com/modules/news/article.php?stor yid=23
It would seem that the system is incapable of parking itself in really tight places.
When did you get ur info about California? I took it @10 years ago, and I had freeway, parallel parking, and all the normal stuff. And they just changed the law so you can't drive alone until your 18. (so if you get your license under 18, it's more like a permit). So your info is way outdated. And I have to say I do spend most of my time on the freeway going about 10-15 mph (that's right 10-15), in traffic, so I don't know about that 65 mph stuff. Most of the time I'm either doing 15 on the freeway or 75-80 mph. So you must be old.... =P
> at the risk of sounding patronising[...], well done for the correct use of an apostrophe
:)
;)
Hey, no problem. It seems funny how there are so few people who take note of their grammar, yet I was one of the worst students in my English classes... Go figure
Anyway, I'll take a compliment wherever I can, and I like to give them too. Well done for not being a G.Nazi
And at the risk of sounding annoying (I'm just joking around), well done for following the rule about spelling mistakes in grammar flames. :-)
Now I feel stupid. For some reason I thought grammar was the American spelling and grammer the British one.
Why can't English be completely phonetic like Spanish? Non-native speakers have a hell of a time learning our language. (Through, though and thought are spelt the same yet pronounced utterly differently!)
SpamNet - a spam blocker that really works