Technology you leave the parking Ray! – Germany radio culture

World’s first park robot works in Dusseldorf

By Stephanie Kowalewski

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robot “Ray” promoted in Dusseldorf a car in a parking space. (Picture alliance / dpa – Federico Gambarini)

allow his name is Ray! Ray is a robot who is now at the Dusseldorf airport passengers decreases the parking. A great convenience to passengers, and the airport saves space. A trial run last year was successful, so the technical world novelty can now take up their duties.

annoying curves through tight parking garages in search of the one free parking – this can travelers at Düsseldorf Airport now save. Here they put their car just in one marked with a blue light box, complete the Driving Show and insert the key. The rest is done Ray, explained one of his fathers, Rupert Cook:.

“They drive their car into a transfer station because the car is 3D presumptuous because we need so the height, length and width from their cars Then comes the robot takes the car very carefully at the wheels on, raise it to about ten centimeters and then parked it for her in a parking garage. “

Good three and a half years has fiddled in an old boat shed in Upper Bavaria on the fully automated robotic parking and finally called him Ray, the small start-up company Serva transport system. Now he is ready to go and the world for the first time in a separate parking area at Düsseldorf Airport in use, explains Christian Jancke, car park operators and responsible for all IT offerings at Düsseldorf Airport.

“We start with three robots. And from the side, it’s a world first, we want still to gain experience. And Invest, even for 300 parking spaces located in the seven-figure range., it is that we provide more than one million euros for this purpose in technology. “

high-tech robot crammed with sensors, cameras, computers

Ray is a high-tech robots – replete with sensors, cameras, computers and laser technology. He cautiously approaches a car, it embraces almost on three sides – without actually touching, Rupert Koch describes the operation of the robot Park

“the robot can be thought of as a flexible U.. and driving apart the U in the center and thereby adjusts the length of the cars in. ”

In the middle of this U-shaped steel robot strong forklift arms are attached, the slide gently under the front and rear wheels of the car, lift it slightly and then contribute to the next available parking space. This requires neither Ray rails or cables. A key advantage, says the car park operator.

“That’s the difference to the transport logistics, since it comes from originally. Here the vehicle is moving on a pure wheeled operation. Enable them to old infrastructure to revive, to the effect that they park the cars flexible. “

Any guidance systems installed in old park buildings would just be too expensive, says Christian Jahncke. The electric parking robot rolls on its wheels alone and almost silently through the parking garage, explains developer, Rupert Koch.

“The technology of the Ray is based on a driverless transport vehicle, which completely autak in a hall can move. Battarie We have an on board, we have our own navigation system on board and so the Ray just can autonomously navigate through the park and to park their cars. “

cars are tightly parked at you

And extremely space-saving. Since no longer a driver has to off and get in, the cars are parked close together and sorted by size. A dream for every car park operator, Christian Jahncke raves about the so gained parking.

“It depends on the car park, to the effect that in a perfect construction, they can be much more efficient, up to 60 percent. But here we have started on a 25 year old car park times. And there is our number between 30 and 40 percent. “

And already at 30 percent more parking space, the acquisition of the three counting fully automatic parking robot, says Christian Jahncke. For him, Ray is the perfect solution, because as it is precisely in Ballungegebieten with chronic shortage of parking spaces and very expensive land much more profit do with a car park. Customers can also benefit from automatic parking assistant, says Thomas Schnalke. The manager of the airport is Düsselsorfer überzuegt that especially business people will use the new service because they want to spend as little time at the airport. Since Ray offers exactly the right thing, he says.

“speed!, You can with our new product as quickly as possible to park their car at the airport but also as quickly as possible to get back the car again when the flight has ended and they are back in Dusseldorf. “

Ray knows exactly when the cars are due back

Thanks to an ingenious software, white robot Ray also when to provide for extending what car again, explains Rupert Koch.

“Here the Parktiket is linked to the ticket, dadaurch we know exactly when they again come. We also know that if they, for example, have a delay and we will then make it were just in time the car in the transfer station ready. “

In addition, the customer may at any time on a smartphone App communicate with the system and inform him of any changes in the itinerary. Christian Jahncke is confident that the technology friendly Germans Ray will be happy to confide in her car.

“The Germans are the love, because the Germans want to keep their keys and do not want anyone with car driving around and the car will be parked by foreign people somewhere. “

But the robotic parking system has its limits. Whenever many drivers want to place or have their vehicle at the same time, Ray is overwhelmed. In soccer games or even music concerts, visitors will therefore continue to go on their own parking space.