Valeo’s Park4U Demo Uses iPhone to Remotely Park a Car

[Wiley John Wright]

Some of the more tech heavy cars available today are capable of parking themselves automatically, but these vehicles require that the driver stay behind the wheel as the car parks itself. At this year’s 2011 International Motor Show in Frankfurt, Valeo, maker of the popular Park4U system, unveiled a new iPhone app. This app lets drivers get out of their car and, with the push of a button, lets the car park itself.

Valeo demonstrated the Park4U technology using a Volkswagen Sharan. During the demonstration, a Valeo representative first used a remote control to park the Sharan, and then repeated the process using their iPhone app. The car parked itself flawlessly both times.

Imagine circling a crowded parking lot trying to find a place to park. You finally see someone about to pull out, but the spot looks a little tight. Your car should be able to fit, but you may not have enough room to get out.

When the Park4U app becomes available, drivers will be able to get out of their cars and, with the push of a button, their cars will park themselves automatically while they stand comfortably outside. Of course, these cars will have to be equipped with the Park4U system. Currently, Park4U requires at least 22 inches around the vehicle in order to parallel park. In the future, the company hopes to reduce this distance to only 16 inches.

The standard version of the Park4U auto parking system is currently available for Lincoln, Ford, Audi and Volkswagen. Valeo has not yet stated when the Park4U iPhone app will be available to the public, but hopefully they won’t wait too long to release it.



Source: CNET

[bmasti]

good for ladies , no more car scratches lol

[KraXik]

I thought the whole point of staying in the car while it parks was a safety issue?

[charliebee]

If you park your car so close to mine that you (and therefore I) can't get in or out, beware my keys on your paint job!

[hitman10]

good for ladies , no more car scratches lol

Sexist much?

I, no girl but Im smart enough to know that statistically females have better driving
Records then men. Which is why it's cheaper for girl teens to have their insurance then men.

Secondly. That seems cool. Can't wait till my iPhone to the fridge to me for a nice cold beer.

[Rpjr]

Sexist much?

I, no girl but Im smart enough to know that statistically females have better driving
Records then men. Which is why it's cheaper for girl teens to have their insurance then men.

This in fact is false. Teenage girls have cheaper insurance because when assessing risk the biggest factor is time on the road, because both sexes are equally risky to insure when all factors are the same. However, an actuary looks at the odds of a teenage boy driving in a relationship, or at all, in comparison to the girl, which in fact makes the boys be the road 3x more than girls on average.

[pabloottawa]

Sexist much?

I, no girl but I'm smart enough to know that statistically females have better driving
Records then men. Which is why it's cheaper for girl teens to have their insurance then men.

Secondly. That seems cool. Can't wait till my iPhone to the fridge to me for a nice cold beer.

The only reason they have better driving records is because they typically drive SLOWER than men. They look like better drivers on paper but don't have the experience or the confidence behind the wheel to drive defensively if needed. A slow driver has never been proven to be a better driver.

Furthermore, Studies AND statistics have also shown that women are more emotional behind the wheel and in such cases FAR MORE WRECKLESS than men when driving at high speeds. When women get emotional while driving they don't care about anyone or anything but themselves and their cause thereby endangering the lives of the people around them as well as their own.

Remember, I'm talking about the TYPICAL woman...


Oh and by the way.. When it comes to parking and scratches, women don't give a ***** about your paint job, or their own lol

[luketinsley]

Haha agreed, if your car is within a foot of mine, you will be missing paint. The yellow lines are there for a reason. Use them women.

[Eagleye]

Lame. When's the "Drive4U" coming out? I wan't to be able to read news and post comments on modmyi on my way to work without accidentally merging into oncoming traffic.

[SevenThirteen]

How lazy can you be not to park your own car anymore?

[raduga]

Furthermore, Studies AND statistics have also shown that women are more emotional behind the wheel and in such cases FAR MORE WRECKLESS than men when driving at high speeds.

Wow, awesome!

So, you're saying that women have more challenges and more difficulty on the road, are more impulsive and subject to distraction, but their superior wreckless behavior saves the day?

I don't know about you, but given the choice of driving among a crowd of insane drivers who don't actually get into wrecks with eachother and myself-
or driving among perfectly sane, competent, qualified and mellow drivers who wreck their vehicles (and mine) all over the place, I'd stick with wimmins on the road, and let the rest be passengers.

I suppose you might have meant "reckless" but if you had meant that you would have said "reckless". Wreckless drivers are a Good Thing. <3

How lazy can you be not to park your own car anymore?

About as lazy as it is, to wreck your post with reckless spelling.

[Donnutt]

About as lazy as it is, to wreck your post with reckless spelling.

What careless spelling? The only thing he did was double space one word...

The biggest thing I can agree with here is that the majority of women DO NOT care about the car's paint job, they only care that it gets them from A to B.

Big problem... If there is no room to get out, there is no room to get in either... I foresee a lot of dinged doors with this... I walk out to my jeep and find that someone has parked me in. I yank the door open...Wham!!! Now there is enough room.

[friscosooner]

Sexist much?

I, no girl but Im smart enough to know that statistically females have better driving
Records then men. Which is why it's cheaper for girl teens to have their insurance then men.

Secondly. That seems cool. Can't wait till my iPhone to the fridge to me for a nice cold beer.

Illiterate, much??

[pabloottawa]

How lazy can you be not to park your own car anymore?

And who would want to park their car in such a tight spot anyways??? You know the guy next to you is gonna get pissed that he cant get into his own car and key yours. The idea is perfect IF everyone has one of those "learned helplessness" gadgets.

[hapishyguy]

good for ladies , no more car scratches lol

NO, good for us. Ladies wont scratch our cars

[PatrickGSR94]

I thought all the self-park systems in cars require the driver to be in the car to modulate speed via brake pedal. Not sure this system is very safe.

[emerica6708]

If women are worse drivers than men why can a girl rent a car at 21 but men can't till they are 25? I went to rent one and they said no, I am 21 but my 21 year old girlfriend could rent it no problem, it may be different outside of Texas though.

[davshirley]

If you park your car so close to mine that you (and therefore I) can't get in or out, beware my keys on your paint job!

Amen! And what my keys don't get, my brushguard will finish off. Your car will fit in much tighter places with all the bodywork removed...

[BenderRodriguez]

Well this might be nice, park in front of a Grocery store, walk in while telling your car to go park and when u leave the store you tell the car to come pick u up

adds a new definition to the word lazy

[DTan]

Its a nice feature but does it come with driving it self out of that tight parking space ? how about if you need to leave first before the others gone