HL Mando, a South Korean company specializing in components for electric cars and self-driving vehicles, is developing an autonomous valet parking robot named Parkie. The company plans to conduct field testing for Parkie early next year.

Parkie, a sleek 3.5-inch-high (90mm) flat platform, is designed to park various vehicle types autonomously, including sports cars and SUVs, without requiring external assistance.

The robot can gauge a vehicle’s weight, wheelbase distance, license plate number, and assess road conditions before efficiently parking the car.

Scheduled to commence testing in April at a startup hub south of Seoul, Parkie operates on Level 4 autonomous driving technology, eliminating the need for human supervision. According to HL Mando, once commercialized, the Parkie valet parking system is projected to be 20% more cost-effective than conventional methods.

The company said that pilot test results, anticipated next year, will play a crucial role in evaluating the effectiveness and feasibility of the autonomous parking robot.

Daelim University automotive Professor Kim Pil-soo commented on the significance of such innovations, noting that while autonomous parking systems in open-air environments are relatively achievable, realizing them indoors presents significant challenges. In this context, robots like Parkie hold substantial potential for addressing complex indoor parking scenarios.