You’ve just caught the “red-eye” flight home. The baby in the next row screamed all of the way, your in-flight meal was awful, and you’re beyond tired. You drag yourself off the plane and schlep your heavy baggage over to the car park only to realize that you’ve forgotten where you parked your car. At times like this, wouldn’t it be nice if you could just have your vehicle magically appear? Well, if you’re at Düsseldorf Airport in Germany you can. That’s because “Ray” the parking robot concierge installed there knows when your flight arrives, picks up your car in its mechanical arms and delivers it right to you.
In Germany, high tech has come to airport parking. Last week, Düsseldorf airport (DUS) introduced robot valets to take the hassle out of parking for travelers. Travelers can leave their cars at the arrival level of the ParkingPLUS structure. As they leave, they confirm on a touch-screen that no one is in the car. The robot valet, nicknamed “Ray,” takes it from there. The robot measures the vehicle, picks it up with a forklift-like system, and takes it to the back area, where it will position it in one of the 249 parking spots reserved for automated valets. The machine is capable of carrying standard cars weighing up to 3.31 tons. The robot valet is even connected to the airport’s flight data system, and by checking customer trip data with the database, Ray knows when the customer will return for the vehicle. A traveler can note any itinerary changes in a parking app, which is available for iOS and Android. Düsseldorf’s airport is relatively small, and officials touted the convenience of heading to the terminal from the parking structure entrance. Ray “makes the distances between planes and passengers’ vehicles even shorter,” according to a statement from the airport.
