The future of parking is in high tech parking also called an automated parking system. These systems are completely automated and designed to be efficient. These systems use a series of machines and high tech computer systems to make the parking experience effortless, quick and in a significantly more efficient manner than traditional car parks.
Since the invention of the automobile, space has been set aside for these cars to park. With the steady growth and popularity of the car, the demand for parking grew in the same pattern. As ground space was consumed, the only logical choice was to build up and as such the traditional parking garage was born. The traditional parking garage is an inefficient system consisting of ramps, roads with space for cars coming and going, walking space, stairways and elevators. Compared to the space they have, even when filled to capacity, these car parks rarely house more than 50% of their space with cars.
In contrast, the high tech parking system is designed to park cars in the quickest and most efficient manner possible. Combining high tech computer systems and raw mechanical power, these automated parking systems change the parking experience for the better. The system, while complicated, can be explained fairly easily;
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A driver will drive their car into the open car port and park their car on top of a lifter. They can then exit their car and walk away. Their parking experience has completed and they can go on with their day.
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A computer system documents the car and plots which parking slot this car belongs in. In many cases, such as with condominiums, this may be a specific spot, but in other cases such as a public garage the car will be taken to the nearest spot.
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Once the computer has processed the car, which occurs in an instant, the mechanical lifter begins based on the orders from the high tech computer system.
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The lifter will then move the car, on all three planes in some cases – up and down, left and right and deeper or shallower.
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Once the car has been parked, there it remains until requested.
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Once requested by the owner, via a computer at the garage or through a computer program accessed over the internet the system will work in reverse to retrieve the car.
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As the car arrives back at the port, it is typically placed on a rotating platform and will turn the car around allowing the driver to enter the vehicle and drive off without having to back up.
These high tech parking systems are constantly improving. Currently once requested, it usually takes approximately 180 seconds to retrieve one's car from the lot. However, with cellphone technology now, apps are being developed to be able to retrieve your car with a click of a button on your smart phone alleviating the wait time altogether. Additionally with the inaccessibility of the vehicle by any potential thieves, these high tech systems also act as superior security systems to the traditional parking garages. As space becomes increasingly in demand, high tech parking will become the norm and replace the antiquated parking systems of decades past.