Have a look at this article.

Or if you can't be bothered, basically the title suggests that you can park your BMW without being in the car, just by pressing a button.

This is true, but its not as good as I expected....maybe I expect too much from technology.


Basically, you have to set up a reflector at the end of the parking space you want to park the car in.
You manouver the car towards the parking space, get out, close the door then press the button and using a video-sensor, checks the angle of the car against the reflective plate, works out the angles and the requirements for braking / turning / acceleration.

Seems good...and it kind of is, but it requires that you *almost* park the car before hand, as the cars windscreen placed camera must be in view and range of the reflective plate.


Reading something about "cars that park themselves" suggests more.

For one, you can only use this function at dedicated places, such as your garage.
And you're done for if some little prankster steals your reflective plate....or worse moves it position or alters its angle.

Of course, this is great if you have to park your car in a very tight space from which you couldn't get out of the drivers seat.

But if you can afford a £30k BMW (or such) then surely you'll be able to afford a better parking space.
Unless you're trying to park it in a tissue-filled matchbox, just to keep those nasty scratches at bay.....although you can never be too careful, I hear some tissue paper can scratch BMW paint....



So in the end, for the cost of development....utterly pointless when compared to spending the man hours and money in researching better braking systems, better air-bag and crash protection systems or just better fuel economy.



Obviousl, if the car could *decently* park itself, without further requirement for additional 'reflective disks' or similar, or even better...parallel park, then BMW, you'd be on to a winner.


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