Picture: aiMotive
AiMotive and Parkopedia have announced a new partnership to offer automakers scalable, autonomous parking solutions which minimise everyday parking hassles for drivers, without needing to rely on the presence of additional infrastructure within parking facilities.
The company’s new parking solution can provide navigational support for drivers within both indoor and outdoor facilities by utilising aiMotive’s perception technology, combines with localisation information provided by Parkopedia’s highly accurate Indoor Mapping service. The company has said that this is a unique, cost-effective, scalable indoor mapping solution for automakers looking to future proof their navigation and deliver the driver convenience services expected today.
The partnership will see drivers provided with indoor turn-by-turn directions to accurately selected parking locations, such as to a pre-booked parking space or to electric vehicle charging points, or the closest available parking space to desired destinations or exit points, minimising overall journey time and maximising range – saving time and preventing frustration for drivers, while also enabling ‘find my car’ convenience and safety services, said the companies press release.
“We are delighted to partner with aiMotive to deliver cost-effective and innovative parking solutions of the future. Every car journey begins and ends with parking, and, as such, it remains a critical element of in-car navigation systems to reach final destinations,” said Brian Holt, CTO at Parkopedia.
“Unfortunately, the current navigation experience ends at the entrance to parking facilities, leaving drivers short of their intended end destination. By combining aiMotive’s technology with our HD indoor maps, we are able to extend and enhance the navigation experience and provide the bridge to autonomous parking and its associated benefits in the future.”
The joint venture will also allow autonomous parking services within any parking facility without needing any training or additional equipment at the location.
The Type 1 Automated Valet Parking (AVP) function for automated vehicles is based solely on in-vehicle intelligence and integrated features that are already present in the vehicle.
Once activated at a designated drop-off point, the vehicle is able to navigate parking structures to park itself, and, when summoned by the vehicle owner, will return to a predefined pick-up point.
“aiMotive strives to develop truly scalable and innovative automated driving software and related tooling. Our parking solution also follows that mindset. Relying only on in-house-developed vehicle-based intelligence and sparse HD maps, Parkopedia is a natural partner to us,” said Gábor Pongrácz, SVP of aiDrive.
“The maps provided by Parkopedia were precise and detailed enough to be used in our AVP solution for localization and path planning right away. Jointly, we can greatly accelerate the adoption of AVP technologies, being able to deploy to any facility that is mapped.”
The company claims that AVP is likely to be the first SAE Level 4 automation product made availble to drivers due to the low cost and lower risk of driving.
