Germany’s Robot Valets
A robot valet parking system has been implemented at Düsseldorf Airport in Germany. Travelers who want to bypass the human valet can now go to the robot valet parking garage at the airport.
The robotic laser forklift valets are nicknamed “Ray” and cost around $40 dollars a day to park and leave your vehicle there. A driver can pull up to a laser measurement parking space and leave their vehicle there to be parked by Ray in one of the garages 249 robot only parking spaces.
All you have to do is park your car, let the laser measure the size of your car, grab a ticket and walk out. Ray will pull up beside your car, measure it and pick it up by it’s wheels. It will then move it to an open parking spot and can move it again to maximize the garage’s space. It is estimated that this robotic valet system can increase a garage’s capacity by up to 60%.
Below is a video (It’s in German) that shows the Ray robotic valet parking system in action. Hopefully some U.S. airports and garages can get this parking system implemented some day.