Feature

Smart actuators help robot valets optimise high-volume automobile parking

Manual auto parking results in inefficient space, labour utilisation and burning of fuel, as well as a risk of injury for attendants. Now, France-based Stanley Robotics is on a mission to change that, by optimising high-volume automobile storage and retrieval with the help of smart actuators.

04/10/2023 12:16:17

Font size:

Before a newly manufactured car is delivered to a dealership, it typically joins thousands of others in a large storage lot, where it can sit for days or even months.
Managing these lots requires many manual, time-intensive tasks: attendants must start each car, park it safely in a designated area, keep track of its location, and be able to access it
easily for distribution when needed.

Stanley Robotics, a provider of automobile storage logistics robots, tackles these issues by offering a self-guided, vehicle-carrying platform that finds a car, lifts it, moves
it gently, and parks it in an allocated space. When the robot arrives at the car, light detection and ranging (LIDAR) sensors detect its position, the position of the wheels, and
the distance between them. Once the car is aligned on the platform, Thomson Industries’ electric linear actuators secure the vehicle on the platform and lift it.

Read the full article in DPA's October issue

Written By Sophia Bell

Sophia Bell is the Group Editor of DPA, Connectivity, and PBSI. She joined the team in 2020 as Assistant Editor after achieving a First-Class Honours BA in English Literature and Film Studies from the University of East Anglia. In her current role, she leads the editorial strategy, driving digital growth and ensuring each title continues to deliver trusted, relevant insight for engineering and manufacturing professionals.