Amazing! Could this be the end of dents in the door? Ford develop car that parks itself while the driver waits outside

 Robocar: Squeezing out of car doors in narrow parking spaces may one day be a distant memory thanks to a new technology
Every driver will be familiar with being forced to contort their body to squeeze out of the door after parking in a narrow space.


Cars are getting wider and wider, but parking spaces are still the same size they have been for decades, causing dinks and scrapes as motorists struggle to park their unwieldy vehicles.
But now Ford has developed a car that can park itself - while the driver stands outside.
The technology is being tested on a Ford Focus at the company’s proving grounds at Lommel in Belgium and is expected to be on showroom models within two years.

Ford has unveiled a car fitted with next-generation parking technology that parks the car while the driver stand outside

The car is fitted with the next-generation parking technology which, at the push of a button, operates steering, gear selection and forward and reverse motion. It can even be operated from outside the car by remote control.
The width of an average car has increased by 16 per cent in the past 20 years, but many garages and car parking spaces were built when cars were smaller.

 

The driver simply gets out and holds down a button on the key fob and the car takes over, using state-of-the-art motion sensor technology. The process takes around 10 seconds.
Barb Samardzich, Vice-President of Product Development, Ford of Europe, said the technology will help drivers on a daily basis.

Here boy: The car even drives out of the space when the driver returns

The technology is being tested on a Ford Focus and is expected to be on showroom models within two years

'It's trying to help someone squeeze into that space and allow them to have some automated help to help them achieve a driving manouevre they are going to have to do frequently in their life,' she said.
The emerging technology was also welcomed by the AA. A spokeman said: 'It will help people with a multitude of challenges, whether it is parent with child seats or disabled people or older people. It could be a very useful piece of new technology.'
However, the Government must first change a largely-ignored law that forbids drivers from leaving the car while the engine is running before it can be rolled out.
BMW has also developed a similar breakthrough, but their system only operates if the driver remains in the car.

 

Ford's self-parking 'crash-proof' car manoeuvres itself into...

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