Intelligent parking search solutions from BMW

Hassle-free Parking System

Tech Times reports that researchers at Rice University, US, have developed a new hassle-free parking system called “ParkiT,” that not only lets parking attendants know where open spots are, but can also alert drivers to open places through digital signs or a mobile app. So instead of driving around for what feels like hours looking for just one spot, a sign or app can tell you exactly where to go.

Current technology uses sensors on each parking space that connect to a computerized system, basically letting parking managers (and digital signs) know where open spaces are. However, these systems are expensive to implement (about $600 per space). But the new technology can identify where open spaces are located. It uses cameras and computer vision. The cameras overlook large parking lots with 50 to 100 or more spaces. They take a picture of the lot every minute and then send the images to a main server where algorithms and object recognition software determine which spaces are empty. That information goes to the parking lot operator and then gets pushed to digital signs and a mobile app, telling drivers exactly where to go. The camera-based technology costs only around $50 per space.