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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 ter

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.

varispeed 2mo ago
I look for most spacious parking place with wide approach lanes, then shortest distance. Some car parks at the airports are just ridiculous. So narrow you can't exit the car.
- kkrkgbbsvjdlzn 2mo ago
  I you have an extreme size SUV, yes, it should be hard to park. It’s by design.
  - close04 2mo ago
    I have a small car (regular hatchback) and a lot of the parking spots in the very large airport in my city are just marginally wider than my car. If you can’t get the spot at the end of the row, the only way to park in some of the buildings is to offload all your passengers, hope you find a spot where you can park “right door to right door” next to someone else so you can leave just enough room on the left side to squeeze out. The parking buildings were built when cars were smaller than small cars today, and as the passenger count increased, so did the need for more spots, in a 0 sum game. They just split the cake in smaller slices.
  - varispeed 2mo ago
    I don't have a SUV. But why it should be hard? Do you hate people?
amelius 2mo ago
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?
- domh 2mo ago
  It says Stanley Robotics in the article: https://www.stanley-robotics.com/ https://www.stanley-robotics.com/ Edit: seems like they got bought out in 2024 by HL Robotics: https://en.hlrobotics.co.kr/ https://en.hlrobotics.co.kr/
- mschuster91 2mo ago
  > how much training data they put into it This kind of stuff has been the norm literally for decades in any major harbor. No AI BS needed.
  - kkrkgbbsvjdlzn 2mo ago
    We had AI in the 80/90s, we even had an AI hype in the 80/90s.
    - shermantanktop 2mo ago
      The things we called AI back then would not get that label today. Maybe “decision tree” or “expert system”? Or simply “algorithm”?
      - w4der 2mo ago
        And I bet even current LLMs will get relabeled as not-AI once the next best thing comes around in a decade or less.
- SoftTalker 2mo ago
  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.
  - bwblabs 2mo ago
    2015-06-10 indeed: https://youtu.be/H4jYDfOzrjY https://youtu.be/H4jYDfOzrjY
wat10000 2mo ago
Isn't this just automated valet parking? Valet parking allows more efficient use of space, which makes it cheaper in places where space is at a premium. Automating it would change that tradeoff in a way that benefits the customer.
- bravoetch 2mo ago
  It's missing the value-add of valet parking - being able to pull up at the front door and walk away from your car. Without that, this is not valet anything. You still park then shuttle to the airport so there's zero benefit to the end user.
  - wat10000 2mo ago
    In some places, it's no more convenient, and the value-add is just that you can pack cars in tighter. In Manhattan, for example, it's common for valet parking to be cheaper and less convenient.
  - myself248 2mo ago
    On the other hand, it leaves the car locked the whole time, no valet having your keys, no valet adjusting your seats, etc. Some of us avoid valet for some of these reasons. If this thing could pick up my car from curbside at arrivals dropoff like a valet, but handle it robotically so there's no valet downside, it would be amazing.
    - grogenaut 2mo ago
      on the other other hand it randomly pressure points the bottom of your car on points that weren't really meant for it. agree that this would be way better if you just drove up in a queue and cars were taken away. one imagines the slow moving conveyors at amusement parks to get people closer to the ride's speed, tho given how long people take to park, get, take off the seat belt, find park, shut off the car, check their faces in the mirror, Find their cell, button their jacket, straighten up other stuff, find the rest of their shit, get out of the car, kiss their loved ones for 10 straight minutes, struggle with the tailgate, get their bats out, realize they forgot their phone, and finally head away from their car... probbably wouldn't work. I see people take 5 minutes to get their car moving or get out at a grocery store. what they're doing I'll never guess. Car isn't even started for 3 minutes. When I first learned to drive my dad's hard and fast rule was to get the A/C running before anything else (other than insuring the car wouldn't move), the windows could be lowered with your other hand as a secondary.
telesilla 2mo ago
Sometimes airport parking is insanely expensive (cough Schipol), so I'll park further away anyway or park somewhere I can get the train. If this helped lower costs I'd be fine with this but probably they'd keep the high price anyway.
- myegorov 2mo ago
  Fun fact: you can get to/from Schiphol by bike.
  - juleiie 2mo ago
    Unless the bike has electric engine and cargo compartment it’s not super viable id say to move all that luggage
    - aequitas 2mo ago
      Maybe that’s why the “elektrische bakfiets” (electrified cargo bike) is really popular here in the Netherlands. I’ve got one and don’t even live anywhere near an airport, closest one is at least an hour by car.
      - juleiie 2mo ago
        What about a sudden rainstorm on a bike? Or a heatwave without AC? The way I see it sure you can go everywhere using a less than ideal transport option and manage if you must. But.. why?
        Aaargh20318 2mo ago
        Like any Dutch mom would say to their kids complaining about cycling in bad weather: you’re not made of sugar are you? (Meaning: you won’t melt due to a bit of rain, quit being a pussy).
        yurishimo 2mo ago
        The Dutch have a saying, “Je bent niet van suiker” which means “You’re not made of sugar.” Rain here is a fact of life, similar to the UK or Vancouver, Orlando or the Amazon Rainforest. Everyone who uses a bike for transportation here has a good rain jacket. And to put things in perspective, the normal rain seen in the Netherlands is more of a light drizzle and it generally comes in fits and spurts as moist air is pushed inland from the ocean. If you can afford to wait an hour, the rain is probably stopped. Also, getting to the airport with a bike in the Netherlands is fine! There are nice protected bicycle lanes, a nice parking garage, good connections to neighboring infrastructure and you can always bring your bike down to the train platform if you need to go a bit further. When you live in a country that prioritizes cycling infrastructure, taking a bike is the practical, cheapest, and often fastest way to reach your destination. Now to end on a point of more agreement, I agree with you that the demonization of AC in much of Europe is silly. Nobody is upset that in Bangkok or Tokyo that every building has AC. For some reason a certain type of European just doesn’t want to adapt and they will fight tooth and nail to prevent others from utilizing their own economic means in order to stay comfortable in their own homes. My home has solar panels and during the summer they produce much more power than I can utilize at one given moment anyway so if I want to run my AC at 400W during the peak heatwave that should be of no concern to anyone.
crusty 2mo ago
It's solving the 'meatsack labor costs are really cramping my profitability' problem. It's an inconveniently located valet service. But oh, you keep your keys. So it's really an inconvenient tow-truck valet service - or two guys with fork lifts.

varispeed 2mo ago

I look for most spacious parking place with wide approach lanes, then shortest distance. Some car parks at the airports are just ridiculous. So narrow you can't exit the car.

kkrkgbbsvjdlzn 2mo ago
I you have an extreme size SUV, yes, it should be hard to park. It’s by design.
- close04 2mo ago
  I have a small car (regular hatchback) and a lot of the parking spots in the very large airport in my city are just marginally wider than my car. If you can’t get the spot at the end of the row, the only way to park in some of the buildings is to offload all your passengers, hope you find a spot where you can park “right door to right door” next to someone else so you can leave just enough room on the left side to squeeze out. The parking buildings were built when cars were smaller than small cars today, and as the passenger count increased, so did the need for more spots, in a 0 sum game. They just split the cake in smaller slices.
- varispeed 2mo ago
  I don't have a SUV. But why it should be hard? Do you hate people?

amelius 2mo ago

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?

domh 2mo ago
It says Stanley Robotics in the article: https://www.stanley-robotics.com/ https://www.stanley-robotics.com/ Edit: seems like they got bought out in 2024 by HL Robotics: https://en.hlrobotics.co.kr/ https://en.hlrobotics.co.kr/
mschuster91 2mo ago
> how much training data they put into it This kind of stuff has been the norm literally for decades in any major harbor. No AI BS needed.
- kkrkgbbsvjdlzn 2mo ago
  We had AI in the 80/90s, we even had an AI hype in the 80/90s.
  - shermantanktop 2mo ago
    The things we called AI back then would not get that label today. Maybe “decision tree” or “expert system”? Or simply “algorithm”?
    - w4der 2mo ago
      And I bet even current LLMs will get relabeled as not-AI once the next best thing comes around in a decade or less.
SoftTalker 2mo ago
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.
- bwblabs 2mo ago
  2015-06-10 indeed: https://youtu.be/H4jYDfOzrjY https://youtu.be/H4jYDfOzrjY

wat10000 2mo ago

Isn't this just automated valet parking? Valet parking allows more efficient use of space, which makes it cheaper in places where space is at a premium. Automating it would change that tradeoff in a way that benefits the customer.

bravoetch 2mo ago
It's missing the value-add of valet parking - being able to pull up at the front door and walk away from your car. Without that, this is not valet anything. You still park then shuttle to the airport so there's zero benefit to the end user.
- wat10000 2mo ago
  In some places, it's no more convenient, and the value-add is just that you can pack cars in tighter. In Manhattan, for example, it's common for valet parking to be cheaper and less convenient.
- myself248 2mo ago
  On the other hand, it leaves the car locked the whole time, no valet having your keys, no valet adjusting your seats, etc. Some of us avoid valet for some of these reasons. If this thing could pick up my car from curbside at arrivals dropoff like a valet, but handle it robotically so there's no valet downside, it would be amazing.
  - grogenaut 2mo ago
    on the other other hand it randomly pressure points the bottom of your car on points that weren't really meant for it. agree that this would be way better if you just drove up in a queue and cars were taken away. one imagines the slow moving conveyors at amusement parks to get people closer to the ride's speed, tho given how long people take to park, get, take off the seat belt, find park, shut off the car, check their faces in the mirror, Find their cell, button their jacket, straighten up other stuff, find the rest of their shit, get out of the car, kiss their loved ones for 10 straight minutes, struggle with the tailgate, get their bats out, realize they forgot their phone, and finally head away from their car... probbably wouldn't work. I see people take 5 minutes to get their car moving or get out at a grocery store. what they're doing I'll never guess. Car isn't even started for 3 minutes. When I first learned to drive my dad's hard and fast rule was to get the A/C running before anything else (other than insuring the car wouldn't move), the windows could be lowered with your other hand as a secondary.

telesilla 2mo ago

Sometimes airport parking is insanely expensive (cough Schipol), so I'll park further away anyway or park somewhere I can get the train. If this helped lower costs I'd be fine with this but probably they'd keep the high price anyway.

myegorov 2mo ago
Fun fact: you can get to/from Schiphol by bike.
- juleiie 2mo ago
  Unless the bike has electric engine and cargo compartment it’s not super viable id say to move all that luggage
  - aequitas 2mo ago
    Maybe that’s why the “elektrische bakfiets” (electrified cargo bike) is really popular here in the Netherlands. I’ve got one and don’t even live anywhere near an airport, closest one is at least an hour by car.
    - juleiie 2mo ago
      What about a sudden rainstorm on a bike? Or a heatwave without AC? The way I see it sure you can go everywhere using a less than ideal transport option and manage if you must. But.. why?
      - Aaargh20318 2mo ago
        Like any Dutch mom would say to their kids complaining about cycling in bad weather: you’re not made of sugar are you? (Meaning: you won’t melt due to a bit of rain, quit being a pussy).
      - yurishimo 2mo ago
        The Dutch have a saying, “Je bent niet van suiker” which means “You’re not made of sugar.” Rain here is a fact of life, similar to the UK or Vancouver, Orlando or the Amazon Rainforest. Everyone who uses a bike for transportation here has a good rain jacket. And to put things in perspective, the normal rain seen in the Netherlands is more of a light drizzle and it generally comes in fits and spurts as moist air is pushed inland from the ocean. If you can afford to wait an hour, the rain is probably stopped. Also, getting to the airport with a bike in the Netherlands is fine! There are nice protected bicycle lanes, a nice parking garage, good connections to neighboring infrastructure and you can always bring your bike down to the train platform if you need to go a bit further. When you live in a country that prioritizes cycling infrastructure, taking a bike is the practical, cheapest, and often fastest way to reach your destination. Now to end on a point of more agreement, I agree with you that the demonization of AC in much of Europe is silly. Nobody is upset that in Bangkok or Tokyo that every building has AC. For some reason a certain type of European just doesn’t want to adapt and they will fight tooth and nail to prevent others from utilizing their own economic means in order to stay comfortable in their own homes. My home has solar panels and during the summer they produce much more power than I can utilize at one given moment anyway so if I want to run my AC at 400W during the peak heatwave that should be of no concern to anyone.

crusty 2mo ago

It's solving the 'meatsack labor costs are really cramping my profitability' problem. It's an inconveniently located valet service. But oh, you keep your keys. So it's really an inconvenient tow-truck valet service - or two guys with fork lifts.