Put it in park

So, I had lunch with my Dad and we were talking about technology and how advanced it has become (if you get the chance, you should sit down with the older generation who have seen it all and can probably write a timeline and you'll marvel at how far we've come along). Anyway, we talked about how there are cars now, namely the Lexus, that parallel parks for you! How sick is that? I mean, I'm the self-proclaimed king of parallel parking but this advancement in car technology is nuts.

Imagine that; you press a button and one of the most arduous processes in driving a car is done for you. Using computers, cameras, and your foot on the brake pedal, there are sensors around that car that help detect the cars , objects, and curbs around the car to determine the space of the parking spot and steers the car accordingly.

In 1992, Volkwagen incorporated the technology in its IRVW Futura concept car. Then in 2003, Toyota had its "Intelligent Parking Assist" for its Japanese Prius hybrid car. This Prius has yet to be used in the US.

In 2007, Toyota is the only company that has a self-parking car in the Lexus LS460 although for the last couple of years, there have been some self-parking systems in the works. Although standalone driver assisting systems are still in the works, I believe this semi-autonomous parking system is a huge leap forward to some sort of Autopia.



-Rack of Lam