They save space and cost, and someday they’ll house self-driving cars

MATTHEW FLAMM reports for Crain’s New York Business

In 2006 Yair Goldberg was sure automated parking was about to take off. As an executive at Israeli industrial-automation firm Unitronics, he had just led its first project in the United States, a retrofit of a troubled robotic garage in Hoboken.

The technology had gained notoriety for snafus including cars being dropped off platforms. But the kinks were being ironed out. The systems offered convenience to customers and let developers build garages that could accommodate twice as many parking spots as a conventional arrangement in the same footprint.

After the financial crisis hit, Unitronics did not sign contracts for new systems until 2012. Today, operating under the brand name U-tron, the Hackensack, N.J.–based company has installed seven robotic garages across the country and has orders for more than 20 others, including 15 in the metropolitan area.

Read the full story

Like this? Click to receive free updates