Humans Suck at Parking, So Now They’re Letting a Robot Do It

Meet Stan. He doesn't take breaks. Or joy rides.

May 26, 2017 9:00 am

One job we are more than happy to hand over to the robots: parking.

Because if there’s one thing we’ve learned from every single suspense movie ever made, it’s that parking garages are the creepiest, most dangerous places on Earth. Mostly because of human error. Hundreds are mowed down in parking lots and garages every year because people flat-out don’t pay attention, just don’t know how to drive or, more likely, have been blessed with a combination of the two.

So, yes, we’re all in favor of Stan, from Stanley Robotics, the world’s first parking robot.

Stan (2 images)

Scheduled to perform his maiden services at the Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris, Stan will provide people-free parking. The system is meant to make life less of a hassle for travelers and, of course, increase the revenue for the garage owners.

Users will simply reserve a designated parking spot via an app. Then Stan the car-carrying assistant will drive up to the front of the car, pick it up by its wheels and place it in an open space. Worried about your Yukon clearing the ceiling? Don’t. Stan scans the vehicle before parking to make sure it will be placed in an appropriately sized spot. And no need to hand over the keys to anyone.

When travelers return, the car will be waiting in the same spot they reserved at the get-go. To boot, the spot can be aligned with the customer’s flight details to ensure that it’s conveniently ready and waiting for you upon landing.

Stan can handle 400 spots at a time and will be able to move up to 30,000 cars per year. Hopefully he can help cure the epidemic of numbskulls like this.

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