Automated parking systems (or APS) have gone through many changes since their first designs and implementations over a century ago. Our quick guide on the history of automated parking systems will teach you about how society arrived at modern automated parking systems from those early iterations.
The Automated Parking System’s Roots
The APS was first conceived in Paris, France in 1905. The man behind this structure was Auguste Perret, who had a limited amount of land to work with, which led to the creative use of parking space. His design originated as a mechanical stack parking system, which consisted of a powered lift to transport the vehicles to different floors. This structure required guests to drive their cars onto and off the platforms to transport their vehicles.
Automated Parking Evolution
After Perret’s initial take on the APS, the 1920s saw many cities constructing parking mechanisms of their own. The most notable cities were Los Angeles, New York City, and Chicago—all cities with the highest concentrations of automobile use at the time. The paternoster system was popular for powering mechanical stack parking, which required even less space to operate. In 1951, the first driverless parking structure was developed in Washington D.C., which only caused interest in the system to grow in future decades. However, slow mechanisms and long wait times caused this growing interest to stagnate.
Modern APS Systems
Fortunately, interest in automated parking started to bloom again in the 90s. Advancements in parking system technology eventually led to the first robotic parking system in 2002, which was located in New Jersey. Since then, automated parking facilities have become popular all over the world. There are nearly 100 automatic parking garages in the United States alone.
If you're interested in the history of automated parking systems and wish to bring the innovation of mechanical stack parking to your own business, consider browsing our systems here at Harding Steel. We offer customized mechanical and automated car parking lifts for many types of businesses.