Ford has revealed a fully autonomous parking system that allows drivers to reverse park their car from outside the vehicle.
Currently employed in a Focus prototype, Ford’s Fully Assisted Parking Aid utilises the car maker’s Active Park Assist and Powershift transmission technologies to control steering, gear selection and acceleration and braking.
Ford says the system allows drivers to park perfectly whether inside or outside their car, fitting into spaces that may be difficult to position the vehicle into or too narrow to comfortably open their doors.
The manufacturer also revealed its new Obstacle Avoidance technology, which issues warnings if it detects slow-moving objects, stationary obstacles or pedestrians in its path.
The Obstacle Avoidance-equipped prototype steers and brakes autonomously if the driver fails to react to the warnings.
Ford of Europe product development vice president Barb Samardzich said the new technologies, which it hopes to introduce into production vehicles in the near future, show the company’s commitment to meeting changing customer expectations and values.
“The future for Ford means developing innovative products and technologies … help deliver a safer, more convenient, more desirable, more personalised and greener driving and ownership experience,” Samardzich said.
