BMW adds a human touch to driverless parking at CES 2024
If I had a dollar for every automated self-parking demo I’ve seen over the years, many of which happened at CES, I’d probably have enough money to tip a Las Vegas valet, folks whose jobs are still very secure.
But that might actually be changing soon. Given all those earlier demos that went nowhere, I wasn’t particularly enthused when I heard that BMW and Valeo were demonstrating yet another implementation of a car parking itself for the 2024 CES in Las Vegas.
However, after a quick chat with the folks behind the technology and getting a chance to try it myself, I realized I was wrong. Remote Valet is impressive not only for what it can do but because it does it without any technology more advanced than what’s already found in today’s production cars.
The core concept is a simple one. You pull up to the entrance of wherever you want to go. Instead of dealing with the drudgery of parking your own car or risking paying to let some red-vested teenager take your car for a joyride, you instead get out, tap a button in the My BMW app, and walk away.
The car parks itself, and when you’re done, you just open the app, tap the button again, and the car magically returns to pick you up.
The secret is that the car is not truly parking itself. This isn’t a limited case of driving autonomy. You’re actually handing over control of your car to a real human sitting in a sort of call center full of sim racing rigs.
That person then remotely pilots your car, using footage livestreamed from the 360-degree cameras in the car. That streaming happens courtesy of the car’s wireless connection, which also returns the driver inputs back from the call center to the vehicle.
It’s exciting to see how we can enhance the driving experience by leveraging the existing technology in our cars, said a spokesperson for BMW. By adding a human touch to driverless parking, we are able to provide a reliable and convenient solution that doesn’t require any additional hardware.
The technology relies on the sensors and antennas already built into cars, eliminating the need for expensive additional hardware or complex infrastructure.
Unlike other automated parking systems that require specialized beacons or high-resolution maps, BMW’s Remote Valet simply requires a good wireless connection and a human driver in the loop.
During the CES 2024 demonstration, BMW utilized iX SUVs equipped with additional hardware for testing purposes. However, once the software is finalized, no additional hardware will be necessary. This means that the technology could potentially be rolled out to current BMW models via an over-the-air update, making it accessible to a wider range of customers.
To showcase the capabilities of Remote Valet, BMW set up a high-end sim racing rig at CES. Participants were able to remotely pilot one of the iX SUVs using a Fanatec DD2 wheel and Clubsport pedals. Although the maximum speed for a remotely piloted car is set at a modest 10 km/h (6 mph), the experience provided a glimpse into the future of automotive convenience.
With its simplicity and reliance on existing technology, BMW’s human-assisted driverless parking system has the potential to revolutionize the parking experience. By eliminating the need for drivers to navigate tight spaces or search for parking spots, it promises to make urban commuting smoother and more efficient.
As the automotive industry continues to innovate, we can expect to see more advancements in autonomous driving and parking technologies. BMW’s Remote Valet demonstrates that sometimes, the human touch can be the key to unlocking the full potential of driverless systems.
