Autech-Otis Parking Systems begins development of automated parking robot

[Courtesy of Autech-Otis Parking Systems]

South Korea’s Autech-Otis Parking Systems has launched the development of an automatic guided vehicle (AGV) parking robot utilizing artificial intelligence (AI) technology, the company said on Monday.

An AGV parking robot is an autonomous driving solution integrating AI and Internet of Things (IoT) technologies. It aims to facilitate unmanned parking in flat, self-driving parking lots by autonomously navigating optimal routes.

Autech-Otis Parking Systems is a leading company specializing in parking facilities and smart parking solutions. The company has been providing comprehensive services related to smart mechanical parking systems for more than five decades.

Upon a vehicle‘s arrival at the parking lot entrance, two flat square-shaped AI parking robots slide beneath it, raising the front and rear wheels onto their bodies.

Using AI, the robots then safely move the vehicle into an available space, identifying the most efficient route. The same process can be applied to relocate parked vehicles back to the entrance.

This innovation allows drivers to safely exit and enter their vehicles at the entrance, eliminating the need to navigate through the parking lot themselves. “This solution is expected to significantly improve mobility convenience, particularly for vulnerable road users and individuals with disabilities,” the company said.

Tasked with this project by the government to advance AI and automation technologies, Autech-Otis Parking Systems aims to take a leading role in the parking robot market by applying AGV parking robots to existing self-driving parking lots.

In collaboration with the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, the company plans to specialize in future mobility and AI parking solutions.

The target is to finalize the prototype and initiate driving tests by the third quarter of this year, and to complete the development by the second half of next year.

Upon commercialization, the AI parking solution integrated with AGV parking robots is expected to create additional parking spaces in densely populated urban areas, optimizing space usage and anticipating a decrease in illegal parking and traffic accidents, thus fostering an eco-friendly parking environment.

“AGV parking robots and AI parking solutions will find application in large shopping mall parking lots with extensive distances between parking spaces to enhance driver convenience,” the company said, expressing optimism that the new solution’s commercialization would open up new markets and revenue streams.