Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Cars
  3. News

ParkiT’s open spot detection technology is like an ‘X-ray for parking lots’

Andrew Hard
By

Parking garage
Facility Executive
It’s a hectic shopping day and all you want to do is park your car and get what you need. You scurry aimlessly to find that open space, and you finally spot one.

You begin to turn the wheel as you inch closer, only to find a pint-sized Mini (it’s always a Mini, isn’t it?) hiding in the shadows of a behemoth SUV. You let out a stressful sigh, and the chase continues.

Recommended Videos

We’ve all been there. Simply finding a patch of concrete to put your vehicle shouldn’t be that stressful, but it often is. There are solutions out there, such as wireless ‘open spot’ sensors and interval counters, but they’re often inaccurate and unreliable.

Related

A Houston, Texas-based startup called ParkiT is looking to change that by eliminating sensors altogether in favor of modern computer vision technology. Using a unique platform, ParkiT’s tech allows parking operators to monitor their lots in real-time, using a clean, web-based interface to keep vacancy information current. The software then sends information to an online app, and can even integrate with existing camera systems.

ParkiT
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Founded in March 2013 by Rice University undergrad engineering students, ParkiT’s system will also allow operators to see how their lots are used historically, which could potentially streamline future designs.

“Our proprietary technology takes advantage of modern computer vision and machine learning techniques in order to deliver accurate parking operation data with over 96% accuracy and at one-hundredth the cost of competing solutions,” reads the group’s website.

ParkiT was accepted into the OwlSpark accelerator program for startups in 2013, where the group was mentored by entrepreneurs, professionals, and other experts on how to develop new ideas. ParkiT is currently working with Rice University and other businesses around Houston on the next step.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Andrew Hard
Andrew Hard
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Andrew first started writing in middle school and hasn't put the pen down since. Whether it's technology, music, sports, or…
T-Mobile becomes the first carrier to create a nationwide U.S. 5G network
5g capable phones manufacturers header getty

Looking forward to a future connected by powerful 5G networks? T-Mobile has brought the future to us today by launching the U.S.'s first nationwide 5G network, trumping the efforts of other U.S. carriers.

The Un-carrier's new 5G network is massive by 5G standards, covering more than 200 million people in more than 5,000 cities and towns across the U.S. -- an area of more a million square miles, much of it belonging to more rural parts of America. This approach stands in strong contrast to the efforts of other carriers, which have concentrated their efforts into mostly urban areas, with small pockets of 5G available in some of the U.S.'s largest cities. The difference between the two approaches was commented by T-Mobile CEO John Legere, in his usual acerbic style.

Read more
Samsung, T-Mobile to recycle an old phone for every S10e sold in the Netherlands
Closing the Loop

One for One - Circularity for Phones

Cell phones already outnumber people by more than 1 billion and manufacturers are set to produce around another 1.5 billion this year alone. Yet only around 25% of the cell phones we throw away are being recycled and that percentage is a lot lower in some places -- it falls to around 1% in Africa. A Dutch company called Closing the Loop is trying to boost phone recycling with a simple scheme and it has persuaded Samsung and T-Mobile to try it out.

Read more
AT&T claims title as first U.S. carrier to hit 2Gbps on 5G network
hbo

AT&T became the first U.S. carrier to surpass speeds of 2Gbps on its live, commercial 5G network in Atlanta, further pushing the envelope in the race to roll out 5G technology to customers.

The milestone, which AT&T revealed in a blog post, was achieved using the Netgear Nighthawk 5G Mobile Hotspot, and happened about a month after the carrier hit 1Gbps in multiple cities.

Read more