Robotic Parking

At the start of the 20th century, America had only 8,000 cars driving on 144 miles of paved road.1 At that time, most Americans who were fortunate enough to be working did so in the community they resided in. There was no need to commute, and most families remained close to home.

Today with an estimated 206 million vehicles in the U.S., that’s 10 people per car, it’s no secret that Americans have a passion for automobiles and a strong need for automotive transportation. Experts predict that in the next 30 years the number of vehicles in the world will double, and traffic congestion will become 10 times worse than it is today.

Considering how difficult it is to find a parking spot in 2005, imagine how difficult it will be in 2030. Fortunately, innovative minds at Parking Solutions, LLC have addressed such concerns as parking, vehicle emissions and the decreasing availability of available land.

Parking Solutions addresses tomorrow’s automotive concerns today with robotic parking. Accommodating twice the number of vehicles as a ramp-access parking garage of the same size, robotic parking is 100 percent automated and is 99.5% reliable. It weighs nearly 70% less than most ramp-access garages and requires minimal MEP systems, greatly reducing construction and maintenance costs. With facades designed to blend into any environment, Parking Solutions’ robotic parking garages don’t look like typical parking structures either. A boon to environmentalists, robotic parking garages reduce toxic car emissions as well, since cars are shut off upon entry into the garage. Most importantly, robotic parking garages eliminate safety concerns for both the patrons and their cars.

“Dealing with parking structures today, one major concern is safety,” said Project Manager Sean Donnelly. “With robotic parking, the vehicle is delivered to the patron while he/she sits comfortably in a well-lit lobby area. No more wandering around a poorly lit garage. In addition, the vehicles are stored in parking bays which are inaccessible to anyone. Therefore, vehicle theft and damage is eliminated.”

To enter a robotic parking garage, patrons pull into an entry/exit portal that resembles a garage door and stop on a pallet system. Patrons then turn off their car, take their keys and exit their vehicle. Inside the portal is a computer system where patrons scan their card (either a credit card or parking card) and watch as their vehicle is transferred from the pallet onto a lift. Orchestrated by a master computer system, this lift moves the vehicle and parks it in an assigned space. To exit, the patron enters a well-lit lobby, where they scan their card and wait safely as their vehicle is retrieved and delivered to them facing out and ready to go. With its patented pallet system, robotic parking retrieves the vehicle in approximately two minutes.

“Not only is your car safe with no access for anyone to touch it but you're safe,” said Parking Solutions’s Director of Business Development Julie Kavanagh. “It is not always safe, especially for women, to walk around a parking garage in search of your vehicle. With Parking Solutions you no longer have to. It's the safe way to park."

To learn more about robotic parking by Parking Solutions, visit their website at www.parkingsolutionsllc.com

1 America Start Your Engines. US News and World Report; December 27, 1999.