Award winning valet parking

Just as we get used to the idea of a car that can manoeuvre itself into a parking space with virtually no input from the driver, along comes Audi with a system that not only parks the car, it also finds its way to the nearest spot in a car park  independently of the driver.

The system has already been lauded by various media, including the US magazine Popular Science, which recently named it as its Product of the Future.

Audi revealed the system at the Consumer Electronics show in Las Vegas where it was commended as "Best Automotive Technology" by specialised media network 'The Verge'.

The system, described as Piloted Parking and part of Audi's 10-year technology plan, enables a car to manoeuvre autonomously in and out of parking spaces in above-ground and underground car parks.

The system is activated by the driver via a smartphone app that enables the garage's computer to take over the guidance of the car, guiding it to the nearest available parking space and then slotting it into place.

Laser sensors precisely track the car's movements in the parking area, while the computer consults a map to locate which spots are occupied. The car itself monitors the surroundings via 12 ultrasonic sensors – which will be augmented by four video cameras in the next phase of the system's development.

Although Piloted Parking has not yet entered the practical phase of development, Audi says it's close to setting up a car park to test the technology in the real world.

The German company is also working on other piloted, driver-assist technologies, including a system intended to help in traffic jams by automatically driving vehicles at slow speeds.

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