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London Gatwick has launched a robotic airport parking service

aerospaceglobalnews.com

51–60 of 285 posts

Re: London Gatwick has launched a robotic airport parking service

#51
post #14

So I'll have to park my car in a garage first, then take a bus to the terminal just so that a robot can move my car from the place where I parked it to a different place? I was hoping it'd be something where I'd pull up to the curb, grab my bags and head in while the robot parked the car for me but apparently I'll still have to take a bus to the terminal?

[deleted]

Re: London Gatwick has launched a robotic airport parking service

#52
post #30

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Exactly, i think this product is solving an airport problem and not a user problem. Whenever i park at an airport i always look for the shortest distance to terminal / price, then chose an option that lands within an acceptable range. Unless i'm way for very long shuttle-bus isn't really on the table.

It's still an impressive engineering feat, and (probably, given recent AI advances) an incredible time to market. I wonder when they started working on this, how big their company is, how much training data they put into it, etc. What is the name of the company that built this?

I parked in a robotic parking garage in Denmark ten years ago. This isn't really new tech, though the implementation sounds a bit different.

Re: London Gatwick has launched a robotic airport parking service

#54
post #43

"Unlike traditional valet parking, passengers retain possession of their keys throughout their trip." "If passengers accidentally leave an essential item in the vehicle after drop-off, on-site staff will be available to retrieve emergency items." But.. how would they get that emergency item if they don't have the keys?

First thing I thought, too. Seems like mutually exclusive features.

Re: London Gatwick has launched a robotic airport parking service

#55

I wonder what the failure mode for something like this is (e.g. in bad weather, after a power cut, a car catches fire, etc). Nobody in the country with keys, cars parked so close together you probably couldn't get in anyway... could be interesting!

> a car catches fire That's a solved problem, drench the car in copious amounts of water and flush all oxygen with high pressure CO2 tanks.

BEV thermal runaway fires are certainly not a solved problem. I'm not sure they are as common as some critics suggest, but they are difficult when they happen.

Re: London Gatwick has launched a robotic airport parking service

#56
post #30

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Exactly, i think this product is solving an airport problem and not a user problem. Whenever i park at an airport i always look for the shortest distance to terminal / price, then chose an option that lands within an acceptable range. Unless i'm way for very long shuttle-bus isn't really on the table.

It's still an impressive engineering feat, and (probably, given recent AI advances) an incredible time to market. I wonder when they started working on this, how big their company is, how much training data they put into it, etc. What is the name of the company that built this?

  > (probably, given recent AI advances) an incredible time to market
There’s nothing whatsoever to indicate that this has anything at all to do with LLMs.

Re: London Gatwick has launched a robotic airport parking service

#57
post #25

I always wonder with solutions like these how stuff like alarm systems on the car cope with the car being lifted, the vibrations encountered as its being towed. Unless they tell you to switch the alarm system off I guess.

I don't think car alarms detect these kinds of vibrations. It's specifically tilt and more impactful stuff. Certainly, the alarm is never going off when I get my car back via the lifts that I've used. It's probably too smooth.

Car alarms go off all the time on ferries from cars that really don't like being locked and moved.

Re: London Gatwick has launched a robotic airport parking service

#58
post #43

"Unlike traditional valet parking, passengers retain possession of their keys throughout their trip." "If passengers accidentally leave an essential item in the vehicle after drop-off, on-site staff will be available to retrieve emergency items." But.. how would they get that emergency item if they don't have the keys?

You give them the keys, then they go to the site to collect your item.

Re: London Gatwick has launched a robotic airport parking service

#59
post #14

So I'll have to park my car in a garage first, then take a bus to the terminal just so that a robot can move my car from the place where I parked it to a different place? I was hoping it'd be something where I'd pull up to the curb, grab my bags and head in while the robot parked the car for me but apparently I'll still have to take a bus to the terminal?

Article says one of the terminals is within walking distance

Anything is within walking distance if you're willing to walk...

Anyway here's where it is:

https://maps.app.goo.gl/YZKPXp7LSjc5jPot5

Turn on satellite view and you can see it is on the edge of the long stay parking. I dunno if you're realistically going to save a lot of time unless your parking space is right at the back of the long stay car park. Worth it if it's free! I assume it's overpriced though.

Re: London Gatwick has launched a robotic airport parking service

#60
post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't think car alarms detect these kinds of vibrations. It's specifically tilt and more impactful stuff. Certainly, the alarm is never going off when I get my car back via the lifts that I've used. It's probably too smooth.

Car alarms go off all the time on ferries from cars that really don't like being locked and moved.

Ferries tilt and jolt in a way that predictable-path car lifts don't.
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