Robot parking that ignores street markings begins at Gatwick Airport
Passengers do not hand over keys, but leave their car to a robot to park for them
Official London Gatwick Parking Robotic Parking
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Gatwick has become the first British airport to roll out a scheme where passengers leave their cars in the care of a robot to park for them.
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The South Terminal of the Surrey airport has been phasing in its robotic parking, where drivers leave their cars in a garage bay for them to be pulled into a bigger car park.
The robots ignore any road markings and bays, which allows the cars to be packed in more tightly with a 20cm gap between cars.
Proponents have said that the robots have safety-conscious programming to not damage cars.
Oli Bedford, head of airport access, said: “It’s quick, easy and completely hassle-free – and you even get to keep your keys, giving extra peace of mind while you’re enjoying your holiday.”
Gatwick has encouraged passengers to pre-book a slot online to speed up the process of passengers entering the South Terminal.
Gatwick Airport announced the partnership with Stanley Robotics in July and has released video of the robot picking the cars up from around the tyres - leaving the chassis untouched.
Passengers can be at the Terminal by the time the car is in the bay.
Vehicle owners also do not hand over their keys, and their car will be returned to the garage bay when they are back at the airport.
South Terminal robot parking typically costs around £16 per day.
Clément Boussard, Chief Executive Officer, Stanley Robotics: “We are thrilled to partner with London Gatwick, a global leader in aviation, to deploy our solution and address their critical parking capacity challenges as they prepare for significant growth."
Read also: Gatwick second runway to be brought into full use after Government wins legal challenge