Just put it in the garage

Knight Rider may have been a clever collection of gadgets back in the 80s but BMW has turned a good story into reality, boosting child safety and protecting paintwork at the same time.

Step aside KITT, here comes BMW!

A new remote park assist device allows drivers to stand outside their cars and park their cars in their garage. When its time to go, they can use the device while standing outside the car and reverse it safely, keeping an eye on children or pets which may be standing behind the vehicle. The car moves at about half the speed of walking and is controlled by the key fob, which will stop the car as soon as the button on the fob is released. The car steers using its own guidance system and a special in-garage mirror. .The prototype system was revealed in Munich at BMW Innovations Day in July, using a BMW 7 Series as the demonstrator. This car used a video camera in conjunction with the cars Parking Distance Control (PDC), to determine distances from possible obstacles.

The computer behind all this techno-witchcraft uses the automatic engine start/stop function, gear selection, steering input and of course the PDC. But that would be too easy and nowhere near cool enough, so it also drags in the brakes, headlights, hazard flashers and can fold in the mirrors or fold them out again as required. Dont think the driver is now redundant however. He/she must keep the lock button on the key fob held down to allow the car its freedom of movement.

Oh, but the car is smart enough to travel in a straight line and exactly down the middle of the garage at the earliest possible point, taking into consideration the narrowest part of the garage, which would typically be the door opening. Engaging the system means the driver has to double tap the remote to start the engine and activate the PDC. The car then selects reverse and activates the flashers as it backs out.

And given that the car has stored the information it gained from going into the garage in the first place, its a relatively simple thing for it to back out again.And because if you own a 7-Series, youre likely to be security conscious and will have locked the car the night before.

No problem  Beemer-brain unlocks the car and switches off the hazard lights.

But because you are security conscious, if you dont open the door within a set time period, the car will relock itself and switch off the engine.

Now, all the car needs to learn how to do is make my coffee in the morning  thatll be white and two sugars number 7, Milk first please!n

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