Bosch reveals Home Zone remote-parking system

Already heavily focussed on the development of driverless-vehicle technology, Bosch's newest innovation is tied to a smartphone app that takes the stress away from trying to squeeze your car into a tight parking spot - even if it is 100 metres away.

The tech giant says that according to a 2015 study conducted by insurance company Allianz, 40 per cent of all car accidents with material damages are caused while parking and manoeuvring at low speeds - with a major factor being poor visibility. Bosch’s new Home Zone park assist aims to “step in” when the driver can’t handle parking themselves.

With the tap of a button on your smartphone, the Home Zone park-assist app will autonomously park the vehicle, without causing an accident.

Relying on a total of twelve ultrasonic sensors installed in the front and rear bumpers, in addition to a stereo video camera mounted near the rear-view mirror, the system can even memorise any objects or obstacles observed along the way - such as poles or trees.

However, the Home Zone park assist still requires some monitoring by the driver, as it was designed for recurring parking manoeuvres - for example at home or into a designated parking space in a garage.

The system does, though, have the ability to learn and memorise these individual parking manoeuvers, and once learned, can perform them independently.

“Bosch technology is better at parking than most people,” said Dr Dirk Hoheisel, member of the management board for Robert Bosch GmbH.

“When people can’t handle parking themselves, that’s when our technology steps in.”

Earlier this year, Bosch unveiled an accelerator pedal with haptic feedback, encouraging drivers to increase fuel efficiency and reduce emissions by vibrating under acceleration and at optimum shifting points.

Bosch says the Home Zone park assist technology should be ready for production in 2019.

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