We've seen self-parking cars before but Volvo has taken the concept to another level with its Autonomous Parking Concept. Imagine having valet parking wherever you go, but without having to entrust your car to a stranger. Autonomous parking means you can drop your car off at the entrance to a car park and the car will drive itself to a space, park and return to a pick-up zone when required.
The technology is said to be safe to interact with other vehicles and pedestrians, using autonomous drive with detection and auto brake to avoid collisions and requiring minimal infrastructure in the car park. Thomas Broberg, Senior Safety Advisor Volvo Car Group, said "Our approach is based on the principle that autonomously driven cars must be able to move safely in environments with non-autonomous vehicles and unprotected road users".
So-called 'Vehicle 2 Infrastructure technology', featuring transmitters in the road, is used to inform the driver that the service is available. After the car is parked the system sends a message to the driver's phone confirming the vehicle location. When the car is needed the same phone app is used to call the car to a collection area.
Volvo aims to be a leader in autonomous driving, moving beyond concepts to deliver the technology to customers. The company was the only car manufacturer to participate in the SARTRE (Safe Road Trains for the Environment) project that completed in 2012. SARTRE allowed cars to travel autonomously in convoy - described as a platoon - behind a lead truck.
Anything else?
Work on the parking and 'platooning' systems is under way. The first step towards bringing the technology to the market will come with the autonomous steering fitted to the Volvo XC90 when it is launched at the end of 2014.