Back in October 2001 NewScientist.com ran a story on self-parking cars and suggested that they were just around the corner.
Unfortunately that corner was a few kilometres further away than NewScientist.com realised but now they really are just round the corner if you live in the US – or parking right outside your house if you live in the UK.
In the UK vehicles that are able to parallel park themselves are a reality and for just $700 extra you can buy a Toyota Prius fitted the accessory. The driver is still responsible for speed and braking but turning the wheel is all handled by the technology.
The technology hasn’t arrived in the US just yet but it’s not far away – while for us here in Australia … well it’s probably still around the corner and several kilometres down the road.