Looking for open parking spaces in the city is one of the more teeth-grinding rituals for drivers, but researchers at Rutgers University in New Jersey may have hit upon a relatively low-cost solution. They combined ultrasonic sensors with GPS to create digital maps of available parking spaces for Web-based navigation systems, according to Technology Review.
As much as 45 percent of traffic in Manhattan comes from cars wearily circling the blocks and looking for parking spaces, according to a New York City transportation advocacy group called Transportation Alternatives. That problem has driven cities such as San Francisco to create "smart parking infrastructure" that detects vehicles in parking spots using fixed sensors -- a solution that costs $500 for installing and maintaining each sensor.
The Rutgers researchers took a more mobile, low-cost approach by builing a sensor platform based on a $20 ultrasonic sensor that gauges the distance to nearby obstacles, and a $100 GPS receiver to mark locations. They combined the setup with a PC to transmit the data to a central server via Wi-Fi, and placed the prototype platform on just three cars that commuted through Highland Park, NJ.
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Technology, Jeremy Hsu, automobiles, cars, GPS, navigation systems, parking, parking lots, ultrasonic sensorsA next possible step could involve outfitting taxicabs or other cars that regularly drive around. The engineers say that they could cover the entire downtown San Francisco area using just 300 taxis for $200,000, compared to the $3 million price tag for just one of San Francisco's fixed-sensor parking lots. We'll take that, please, along with our parallel-parking cars.
[via Technology Review]
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I could see this being counter productive.
Why would taxi drivers want to help locate parking spots?
Seriously, this might not help much. Drivers will race towards the available spots, but there are still only so many. Some places just need an effective mass transit solution. (emphasis on effective)
from avondale , az
Chris
why dont people ever wonder wat life would be like without cars? imagine all the room freed up if we didnt have roads, parking lots, freeways etc
CARS!! in general are a menice to society maybe 60 years ago they were useful but now days with as many people we have cars are obsolete and one the most idiotic inventions we still HAVE to have
Bigger parking lots with better entrances/exits?
Duct tape is like the Force - it has a Light side, a Dark side, and it holds the universe together. -- Carl Zweiberg
Think about how bad this is going to be, people all rushing for the only spot within 5 blocks and then one person gets there while the other 20 drive away saddened
@Scotty K49 Nooo.... The system would only tell one car driver to go to the free location. Think of this system as way of economizing fuel. You won't have to circulate around and around to find a spot: you will be directed to the one specially destined to be yours!
Do you think there is such thing as love at first sight when it comes to parking spots? What if you see a spot and you totally fall in love with it but the system has told you to go to another spot? What then? OMG, life can be so cruel at times...
www.hungriabonita.com/budapeste - Incredible Budapest
Yeesh, why is everyone so negative about everything posted on the site?
GPS is now widely applied for car, outdoor, fitness, specialty and cell phone, etc. It receives signals from GPS satellites, and the quality of signal is determined by many factors, like
solar radiation, atmosphere conditions and terrain. http://www.gpscardvd.com