We’ve all been keeping up with the news of autonomous cars with bated breath; some with trepidation, others with excitement. What would the creation of self-driving cars mean to society?

On one hand, human error can be completely removed from the driving experience, saving lives in the process. But self-driving trucks, taxi’s and other vehicles will mean that another large section of jobs will be signed over to the robotic world.

So far, the focus on autonomous driving, and how it can benefit society, remains small. Current ideas proposed for the next generation of car tech are based around aiding human drivers in difficult situations, rather than replacing them entirely.

Volkswagen Group have been developing a solution to multi-storey car parks and our fear of parking in them. The company is currently testing a solution that would mean you can leave your car at the car park entrance and the car will go and park itself.

The car’s in-built sensors and cameras read a simple system of signs and ‘simple pictorial markers’ to allow the car to find a space unaided. The markers around the car park indicate entryways, no-entry points and the general direction indicators that the cars software can recognise on its way to finding a space.

A next-generation ‘spatial awareness’ sensor array guarantees the car won’t hit anything as it drives around the car park. These sensors also help measure the size of an available space to ensure the car will fit.

At this moment Volkswagen, Porsche and Audi are all testing autonomous parking cars at Hamburg Airport where the test cars are operating in what appears to be a controlled car park with minimal variables. It is still early in the testing to be sure what technology we could see in future models available to the public. It seems that currently the aim is to provide autonomous systems that work alongside human drivers to aid in difficult manoeuvres.

V12 has as wide range of used cars available at the best prices. You’ll have to park them yourselves though.