New Mineta Transportation Institute (MTI) research, Robotic Parking Technology for Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Control around Park & Rides, finds robotic parking technology to alleviate congestion, control air quality and more.

The research took an approach to design an efficient and affordable robotic parking facility. The study included several prototypes that consisted of a loading pallet and a shuttle for moving vehicles.

The pallets from the shuttle ensured the platform was functional for any street legal vehicle. MTI tested the last prototype on a full-scale car. The prototype was able to lift the 3,000-pound vehicle. It also moved it in linear and circular motions.

“The overall idea is a newly designed, low-cost car lift and transfer platform for automated parking systems. This design is particularly attractive because it simplifies the operational aspects of vehicle placement and retrieval, and the prototype for this design was fabricated very economically by a team of faculty and students,” said the study’s authors.

MTI spent $5,000 for the development of the prototype system.

According to the research, robotic parking technology reduces traffic congestion, improves safety and air quality, and improves the overall parking experience for drivers.