Stan, the valet robot!

Worthy of a science-fiction movie, the Stan robot created by French start-up Stanley Robotics is capable of parking cars in huge spaces. What's more, four of these robots are currently in service at Lyon-Saint Exupéry airport, where they park passengers' vehicles in a huge outdoor parking lot.

Since 2018, these four robots have been managing 600 of the 8,000 spaces in the Lyon-Saint Exupéry airport parking lot. They will soon be joined by 3 additional robots, and together they will be able to manage almost 2,000 spaces!

One of a kind!
Thanks to its ease of use (all the user has to do is reserve a space online via the airport's website) and a price identical to that of a conventional parking lot, this system saves 50% of space in the same location, with cars virtually glued together. After the user-side door closes, the other door opens on the robot side. Now it's Stan's turn to do his bit. Equipped with a platform, he slides it under the car to pick it up. Tiny arms open and grab each tire, lifting the vehicle into its parking space. Thanks to its ultra-precise GPS, it can park the car with centimetre precision. Then, thanks to a service connected to flight information, the robot brings the vehicle back to a garage just before the owner returns. Once again, there's no need to wait - the vehicle is already in the box, ready to go!

For or against?
There's no denying that robot valet parking offers many advantages: users save time when parking on the day of arrival, the system limits the risk of damage and break-ins, and they no longer need to remember where they parked their car. It's also an advantage for airports, which gain space and increase their parking capacity without having to build a multi-storey parking lot. But what about the human element? Perhaps that's the right question.