Next step in parking assistance
Bosch is working on a fully automated system that will park cars with no driver input whatsoeverParking assistance systems are increasingly commonplace. Not only are they finding their way into high-end cars, they're also now offered in some lower-cost vehicles such as the Toyota Prius and the Volkswagen Tiguan. But they're still a work in progress, says Bosch, the company behind the development of these systems for as many as 200 different models to date.
Bosch is working on a number of developments for future applications to simplify parking beyond even what's possible with the current generation of semi-automated parking assistance systems.
"We expect a wide range of new parking technologies [to be developed from our research]," says Dr Rainer Kallenbach, Executive Vice President Sales of the Bosch Automotive Electronics division.
"These include expanded convenience functions such as parking at right angles, a warning system for side collisions, as well as assistance for driving out of parking spaces and a fully automatic parking function."
Bosch describes the current 'semi-automatic' system as "state of the art" and declares that a broader market acceptance of the technology will inevitably help with congestion, reduce driver stress and practically eliminate low-speed panel damage.
The company is working on new developments like parking assistance for right-angle bays -- something the Prius already offers drivers (pictured) -- and a means of automatically vacating a parking spot. Side Distance Warning is a new feature that will monitor the space to the side of the vehicle and ensure that the vehicle won't be susceptible to panel damage from objects by the side of the road, during parking manoeuvres.
In the future, Bosch intends to bring to market a system that is completely automatic and will take care of the manoeuvre without the driver even depressing the accelerator or feathering the brake.
That's the type of system we look forward to; preferably one which responds to a verbal command like "park there", accompanied by a pointing finger. How this would be achievable is something we're happy to leave to the Bosch boffins.
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