car that paralle parks itself!

attgig · 08-26-2003, 11:22 AM

just for all you suburbanites who don't know hot to parallel park <looks beratingly with my snooty city look>

http://www.wired.com/news/technology...,60154,00.html
Toyota plans to release a car next month in Japan that parallel parks itself, an Australian newspaper reported.

Toyota has rigged its hybrid Prius model with special gear to accomplish the feat. It uses a rear-mounted camera and a computer program to perform the task, consistently making a perfect reverse park without the driver touching the wheel, said Toby Hagon, an editor of The Age, who test-drove the vehicle.

"This system assures you don't hit other cars," he said.

Hagon, along with other journalists from around the globe, test-drove the car in Tokyo three weeks ago. Toyota declined to comment about the car or its capabilities.

Nonetheless, automotive experts expect the car to make splashy headlines when Toyota officially unveils it to the public next month. It will initially be offered as a high-end feature for the $20,000 Prius, a model that uses an electric motor to assist a gasoline engine to conserve fuel. Hagon said the self-parking option is the first step toward self-driving cars.

Self-driving systems have been in research laboratories for years. Before details leaked out about Toyota's self-park system, scientists at Roke Manor Research in Hampshire, England, developed a network of radars and miniature cameras that monitored a car and let it measure a parking space to let drivers know whether they could park there. While drivers still had to turn the steering wheel and hit the gas pedal to park, the system forced the car to stop if an unexpected obstacle got in the way, or if the car got too close to another vehicle. Roke showed off the system two years ago, but it isn't in automobiles yet.

Bryan Rickett, who heads the radar group at Roke, says it will be another two years before cars come equipped with the capability to park themselves. He wasn't sure whether self-driving cars would hit the market anytime soon, although Hagon estimated they would in another "10 to 15 years."

"We already have automatic cruise control," Rickett said. "Parking and collision-avoidance-type functions are coming along as well."

Toyota's Prius may become the first car to exhibit those features. In Hagon's test drive, the car's built-in computer electronically measured a parking spot, marked a turn-in point with a virtual flagpole and then steered the car automatically into the space -- rear end first. The car monitored white lines, gutters and nearby objects, avoiding scratches and performing a "perfect" park every time, Hagon said.

But Hagon could see a major pitfall for the Prius: its price tag.

"I wouldn't buy the car," Hagon said. "You can get a better car for less money."

Auto insurance companies probably won't like the system either. Just as airplanes carry pilots even though most of the plane's features are automated, a car will probably always require a driver for liability reasons, Rickett said.

"I doubt insurance companies will let drivers say they aren't responsible for their vehicles," he said.

SnowSurfer · 08-26-2003, 05:04 PM

bmw has been developing something similar for more than 2 years...

Nija · 08-26-2003, 06:20 PM

good. then my g/f will finally not have a reason to not parallel park...

SnowSurfer · 08-27-2003, 06:51 AM

parrallel parking is easy...you just need to practice with cones for awhile and its simple

tweeteresa · 09-02-2003, 07:22 PM

i got on campus today (i go to UCLA) and just finished parallel parking (on the first try of course

) when a guy driving a 4runner came and tried to parallel park 2 spots in front of me. he went into the spot head first though and was stuck there for awhile cuz of incoming cars. so he tried to weasel his way back and forth and finally ended up about 3 feet away from the curb. i was laughing by now becuz his iicense plate read: "ALUMNI of USC."

he then gave up, got out of the car, and asked the lady in the car in front of him if she could possibly move her car up a lil so he can maneuver in.(she arrived about the same time i did and prolly sat in there afraid to leave her car cuz he might hit it

) i was puttin money into my meter but when i heard that, i busted out laughing out loud. i had to leave for class after that so i don't know if she did move her car up or not.

it was just funny to see a trojan not be able to do something as simple as parallel parking. but then again....that isn't a surprise.

08-26-2003, 11:22 AM	#1
attgig Chief of Naval Operations Join Date: Jun 2000 Location: the burbs of baltimore Posts: 11,924	car that paralle parks itself! just for all you suburbanites who don't know hot to parallel park <looks beratingly with my snooty city look> http://www.wired.com/news/technology...,60154,00.html Toyota plans to release a car next month in Japan that parallel parks itself, an Australian newspaper reported. Toyota has rigged its hybrid Prius model with special gear to accomplish the feat. It uses a rear-mounted camera and a computer program to perform the task, consistently making a perfect reverse park without the driver touching the wheel, said Toby Hagon, an editor of The Age, who test-drove the vehicle. "This system assures you don't hit other cars," he said. Hagon, along with other journalists from around the globe, test-drove the car in Tokyo three weeks ago. Toyota declined to comment about the car or its capabilities. Nonetheless, automotive experts expect the car to make splashy headlines when Toyota officially unveils it to the public next month. It will initially be offered as a high-end feature for the $20,000 Prius, a model that uses an electric motor to assist a gasoline engine to conserve fuel. Hagon said the self-parking option is the first step toward self-driving cars. Self-driving systems have been in research laboratories for years. Before details leaked out about Toyota's self-park system, scientists at Roke Manor Research in Hampshire, England, developed a network of radars and miniature cameras that monitored a car and let it measure a parking space to let drivers know whether they could park there. While drivers still had to turn the steering wheel and hit the gas pedal to park, the system forced the car to stop if an unexpected obstacle got in the way, or if the car got too close to another vehicle. Roke showed off the system two years ago, but it isn't in automobiles yet. Bryan Rickett, who heads the radar group at Roke, says it will be another two years before cars come equipped with the capability to park themselves. He wasn't sure whether self-driving cars would hit the market anytime soon, although Hagon estimated they would in another "10 to 15 years." "We already have automatic cruise control," Rickett said. "Parking and collision-avoidance-type functions are coming along as well." Toyota's Prius may become the first car to exhibit those features. In Hagon's test drive, the car's built-in computer electronically measured a parking spot, marked a turn-in point with a virtual flagpole and then steered the car automatically into the space -- rear end first. The car monitored white lines, gutters and nearby objects, avoiding scratches and performing a "perfect" park every time, Hagon said. But Hagon could see a major pitfall for the Prius: its price tag. "I wouldn't buy the car," Hagon said. "You can get a better car for less money." Auto insurance companies probably won't like the system either. Just as airplanes carry pilots even though most of the plane's features are automated, a car will probably always require a driver for liability reasons, Rickett said. "I doubt insurance companies will let drivers say they aren't responsible for their vehicles," he said. __________________

08-26-2003, 06:20 PM	#3
Nija Chief of Naval Operations Join Date: May 2001 Location: City of The Dead Posts: 13,552	good. then my g/f will finally not have a reason to not parallel park... __________________ "Nija is the dark soul of gotapex. We don't like to talk about him." - LPMiller

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08-26-2003, 05:04 PM	#2
SnowSurfer Rear Admiral Lower Half Join Date: Jun 2002 Posts: 2,616	bmw has been developing something similar for more than 2 years...

08-27-2003, 06:51 AM	#4
SnowSurfer Rear Admiral Lower Half Join Date: Jun 2002 Posts: 2,616	parrallel parking is easy...you just need to practice with cones for awhile and its simple

09-02-2003, 07:22 PM	#5
tweeteresa Captain Join Date: Feb 2002 Location: Los Angeles Posts: 1,621	i got on campus today (i go to UCLA) and just finished parallel parking (on the first try of course ) when a guy driving a 4runner came and tried to parallel park 2 spots in front of me. he went into the spot head first though and was stuck there for awhile cuz of incoming cars. so he tried to weasel his way back and forth and finally ended up about 3 feet away from the curb. i was laughing by now becuz his iicense plate read: "ALUMNI of USC." he then gave up, got out of the car, and asked the lady in the car in front of him if she could possibly move her car up a lil so he can maneuver in.(she arrived about the same time i did and prolly sat in there afraid to leave her car cuz he might hit it ) i was puttin money into my meter but when i heard that, i busted out laughing out loud. i had to leave for class after that so i don't know if she did move her car up or not. it was just funny to see a trojan not be able to do something as simple as parallel parking. but then again....that isn't a surprise.

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