Parallel Parking Made Easy: Lexus Debuts Automated System
For those readers that failed the parallel-parking section of their drivers’ license exams, there is still hope. Lexus has included a new automatic parking system, the rather mundanely-named Advanced Parking Guidance System, on the second generation of Prius in Japan and on the ‘07 Lexus LS460 in the US.
The system harnesses the backup camera and the touchscreen already built into the long-wheelbase LS460L (optional on the base model). The driver passes a space and sonar sensors (six in the front, four in the rear) sense the open space and the size of it. The driver stops the vehicle and puts it into reverse, activating the backup camera. A small button appears to activate the parking system, and it will automatically slide the car into the parking spot. The system only operates at low speeds (2.5mph or less, requiring the driver to keep his or her foot on the brake pedal and creep backwards), and only when the car is in reverse.
It’s unclear how well it will work in an environment like New York or Toronto, where parking is at a premium. The system requires at least three feet on either side of the car to function – a luxury that doesn’t exist on midtown Manhattan side streets, where trading paint is not uncommon. Accessory manufacturers and suppliers like Continental and Hella are developing similar systems that may overcome this limitation.
The technology may work perfectly, but convincing drivers to give up control of the steering wheel is a lot to ask. It’s nerve-wracking to let a two-ton vehicle move itself, although that could be echoes of HAL 9000. The site doesn’t specify, but one would hope that the system would deactivate if an object crossed the path of the sonar sensors while the car was in reverse. Of course, this raises the false-positive problem that has plagued car alarm manufacturers for years: how can the system differentiate between a piece of newspaper and a child chasing a ball? The system also fails on inclines and rutted pavement, because it disengages when the accelerator is pressed. Most worryingly, what happens if there is a malfunction? Can it be detected before it’s too late? Who is liable if the automatic parking causes the car to back into another?
Given time, systems like this and the crash-readiness system in the new Mercedes sedans will reduce fender-benders, reduce the seriousness of injuries, and make vehicles safer to be on the road. The inevitable bugs will need to be worked out, of course – and the systems will have to gain drivers’ trust. At some point, the technology will be inexpensive enough to include on lower-end vehicles. After all, why should only the most expensive cars get such valuable features?
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