BMWs Can Already Operate Without a Driver

What if your car could park itself before meeting you wherever you want? A dream already realized by BMW.

BMW Group and Valeo have formed a strategic partnership to jointly develop next-generation Level 4 automated parking solutions. This includes developing solutions for the automated valet parking (AVP) service. Here, the customer leaves their vehicle in a dedicated zone. The vehicle then searches for an available parking space on its own, enters the space, and then exits again, potentially returning to the pickup zone to be retrieved by the driver. An autonomous driving system or a teleoperated valet system can serve as the underlying technology for this purpose.

Visitors to CES 2024 will have the opportunity to try out the teleoperated valet service themselves. The system offers full control in situations that can be very challenging for fully autonomous systems, such as in complex or unfamiliar environments.

The teleoperator uses sophisticated technology and live camera images to guide and move the vehicle so it can be parked and retrieved in a carefully controlled manner. Future possible applications of this technology could include parking at events, airports, or in the logistics sector.

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