Interparking puts Robots to the test in new car park initiatives

The first, a safety solution for which a test was conducted at Interparking Brussels Airport, partnering with the Danish company BS Engineering ApS, specialised in building and servicing towing and rescue vehicles. 

“First-Mover” allows robots to handle tasks that typically pose a high security risk to personnel. First-Mover is capable of handling cars that are parked in hard-to-reach areas, effortlessly moving them around and performing tasks such as rescuing and rearranging cars within parking garages. This robot is a specialised vehicle equipped to quickly and effectively deal with cars that are on fire or producing dangerous smoke. The operator can stay up to 100 meters away from the incident and handle the situation with a remote control. Interparking collaborates closely with local fire brigades when testing new solutions and technologies, and this was recognised through an award nomination at the Fire Forum Awards. These awards recognise companies and initiatives investing in fire prevention. 

But there’s more that robotics can bring to the Interparking experience… With an increasing number of electric vehicles, more drivers than ever are looking for a spot to charge their car while it is parked. However, not all parking infrastructures are provided with the network strength to allow the installation of a lot of fixed charging stations. To avoid that all EV parking spots are taken, Interparking is now experimenting with mobile charging stations operated by a robot. Once parked in a regular spot, the EV driver can activate the mobile charging solution via the Interparking app by indicating how long the car will remain in the parking and what charging level should be provided. Via a QR-code, the user can then unlock a mobile charging station to place behind the car. The battery robot will then plug itself to the charging station and drive away as soon as the car is charged at the requested level. Upon return, the driver can then unplug and return the charging station and drive away with a full battery.