Linux-Powered Auto-Parking Car

megmag writes "A really cool project using a Linux P4 machine for automatic parking of a Volvo S60 was presented last week. Take a look at the video. That's how your parking problem should be solved. It is a final-year student project within the mechanical engineering department at Linköping University, Sweden."

This is cool

[AviLazar]

For the inept :) Then again I know a few women (no offense) who could really use this. Especially suburbanites :)

It seems it has but one flaw

[foidulus]

whenever it parks behind Darl McBride's car, it keeps on slamming the gas and ramming into it...I wonder why

what the?

[FatAlb3rt]

cool, but i really could've done without the shirtless guy. wtf?

uhhhhh

[Choachy]

He can program a car to park itself, but he cant put on a shirt?

Video clip, my ass!

[Osgyth]

And here I was thinking that I might actually get to see the clip. But alas, all I saw was a 30 sec long logo. Silly me, I must be new here.

Why they used Linux...

[EvilTwinSkippy]

It crashed less than windows.

Linux-powered car

[amliebsch]

Gee, mine's still powered my gasoline.

Re:what the?

[Patrik_AKA_RedX]

Another fine example why we need more women in engineering.

Re:This is cool

[MoonFog]

Why is this modded flamebait? Women, and also alot of men, really HAVE problems parking because it often involves driving in reverse. It doesn't help that you often have little time to do the parking because of the other cars waiting to get past you. Alot of people tend to turn the wheels the wrong way when driving in reverse.

Nah, that's M$ parking, HERE'S linux parking

[potus98]

Check out this high-speed parking manuever [milkandcookies.com]!

[obligatory /. MS bash complete]

Re:Suspicious

[EvilTwinSkippy]

Arbitrary parallel parking? Man they use a beowulf cluster for everything.

Re:Strange pull

[EvilTwinSkippy]

Only a geek would design a car that parked itself.

I personally prefer parking with a friend. Especially parallel parking.

Yeah I tried this once

[Stevyn]

I tried this with my laptop running gentoo once. It worked pretty well until I hit a wifi hotspot and it found 3 updates and started compiling for 8 hours.

Would the results have been different I wonder

[Timesprout]

If a team of women had written the software ? hmmmm

Yep - good call..

[oz_ko]

Write an article about linux parking your car - post the video in WMV format...

Re:It seems it has but one flaw

[ideatrack]

You're failing to see the potential in making a joke about Darl McBride being rammed from behind repeatedly, with a huge metal object.

And while they're at it...

[Last_Available_Usern]

...can they also add a subroutine that will automatically slow down your car when you pass an accident?

Parking meters

[GillBates0]

$699.00 per minute.
Only 25c, 10c and 5c coins accepted.
Meters enforced 24 hours.
Violators will be towed courtesy McBride Breakdown Services.

Re:It seems it has but one flaw

[EvilTwinSkippy]

I dunno, but I keep seeing this message flash on the console when it does:

Jun 30 08:25:06 [parkd] Collision Warning
Jun 30 08:25:07 [parkd] SCOre!
Jun 30 08:25:24 [parkd] Backing up for another attempt...

Re:Why they used Linux...

[eraserewind]

yeah, but having to type:

driver@volvo> park --parallel --time +5 --left

befrore getting out of the car gets to be a drag.

Re:Yeah I tried this once

[EvilTwinSkippy]

Would have been ok too, but they just unrapped yet another release of glibc...

Maybe in an Empty lot in Sweeden.....

[Anonymous Coward]

but in Boston, that spot would be so gone before the guy even had a chance to get his shirt off, let alone exit the car.

Practical application

[Mordaximus]

If you can't parallel park, you shouldn't be licensed to drive.

But I can see a practical application of this device : Device determins if driver is an incompetent moron who should never have been issued a license, and if that is the case, automatically pull over, park and cut power to the engine.

Imagine the look on the asshole tailgater's face when upon pulling up within inches of your bumper, is denied control of his car, and pulls over to the side of the road (perfectly parked of course.)

Or the moron who is in such a rush that he thinks red lights are optional.

Or my personal pet peeve, the idiots who think signals are optional, and that everyone should just guess what their next move will be...

yup, I think I'd enjoy having the road to myself :)

Re:Why they used Linux...

[EvilTwinSkippy]

Sure beats: I see that you have activated that Automatic Parking System. Would you like to:

• Locate the nearest farmer's market?
• Park your car in the spot selected?
• Drive up a tree?
• Block in the guy who is trying to pull out of the spot you want?

If Windows powered it...

[Anonymous Coward]

Clippy would say: "Looks like you are trying to parallel park. This feature is not currently installed. Please insert the Microsoft Parking CD."

Re:Why they used Linux...

[Ilgaz]

No, first

modprobe volvo.o
chmod /dev/volvo 666
etc etc etc

Prague

[Alif]

Can it park in Prague [internet.cz]?

Re:Funny, but if you look at the lines on the grou

[ballpoint]

And both non-existing cars were ma/parked in the fourth dimension.

Pshoa.

[Mr_Icon]

If it could really park by itself, it would have to be able to do all of the following:

• Roam the parking lot for 20 minutes looking for a spot, with windows rolled down, blaring bad techno at the surrounings.
• Predatorily follow someone walking along the parking lot in the hopes that they will get in the car and pull out, and mouth them off in anger when realizing that they just wanted to pick up their wallet left in the car.
• Know not to park next to the door-dinging Canyonero.
• Mouth off at the "ass-clown in his fucking Porsche" who parked diagonally across two parking spaces.
• Yell "WHAT THE FUCK! THAT WAS MINE!" at the soccer mom who just pulled into the available space that you have spotted while four rows across and have been navigating to it ever since.
• Drop into neutral and rev up the engine behind the two old ladies who don't know any better to fucking get off the road.
• Bitterly bitch at the handicapped people for wasting perfectly good parking spaces that are never taken anyway.
• Say "that's it, I'm taking the goddamn bus next time!" at least once every two minutes while still circling the lot.
• Finally find a parking space after 30 minutes of circling, parking with the front wheels over the "absolutely no parking" line.
• Find that someone double-parked you upon your return, and be able to pull out over the curb, nearly leaving your exhaust pipe behind you.

Until then, don't talk to me about self-parking cars.

Re:This is cool

[cloudmaster]

Sometimes I need to roll that window down while driving. Back before power windows, the speed limits were higher *and* people leaned over to roll their windows down. If you want a real shock, wait 'till I get hot enough to roll the *back* windows down while driving... ;)

Re:that space would almost fit two cars

[AndroidCat]

Yup, you could park a small country in that space!

Did they use any kind of three laws of robotic parking?
1. I will not squash a human being.
2. I will not dent another car, except when this can not be observed by a human being that I can not squash.
3. I will not hang with my shiny metal ass out in the traffic. Blow horn and rules #1 and #2 can hang.
4. Restricted

Re:This is cool

[WormholeFiend]

reminds me of a spoof "cigarettes kill" radio joke, modelled after the "drinking and driving ads".

You hear a guy driving, talking to himself "now where did I put my cigs... oh there they are -- on the back seat! hmmf hmmf hmmmf almost... almost..." *tires screeching* *CRASH!*

Voice-Over: "Don't Smoke and Drive"

Imagine a ...

[Cyburbia]

... never mind.

Re:Why they used Linux...

[dema]

Yes, as opposed to

Insert CD
Click Ok
Click Ok
Click Ok
Select I Agree
Click Ok
Click Ok
Click OK
Wait...
Click Finish
Click Ok
Restart
Login
Click Ok
Eject CD
PARK!

Key point missed

[Rei]

The key thing that people seem to be missing about this article is not the automation, but the fact that this is a *Linux Powered Car*. Bush has been pushing hydrogen, but Linux power is really the power of the 21st century.

Of course, I probably won't switch - my XML powered car has been working just fine for now.

CALL FROM THE FRONT DESK!!

[lcsjk]

(Over company intercome)Could I have your attention? Someone left an unparked car out front with the motor still running. Did one of you engineers drive your wife's car again today?

That's great, but...

[Poseidon88]

I'll be really impressed when they can make it drive around the lot and find a space by itself.

What a collosal waste of time....

[switcha]

C'mon, people. Why waste time with this shit? It's too late. The Segway is going to revolutionize the way we build cities and it's already here! Did you hear me? The way we build cities! [megarad.com]