Park your start-up in prime spot

Finding a place to park can be a nightmare, especially at Christmas time when a surge in shoppers results in car park chaos.

There are already websites around that can help urban drivers find a place to park, but they typically rely on other users posting details when a spot opens up.

In France, however, an innovation uses in-ground sensors to provide such information automatically. ParkSense consists of specially designed sensors that are placed directly in the ground in parking areas.

The presence of a vehicle changes the sensor’s ambient magnetic field, allowing it to notify drivers whether or not there is a vehicle in a particular spot. The durable sensors are also connected in a mesh wireless radio network, allowing each one to report any spots that open up.

Meanwhile, drivers can use the free ParkSense app to see the resulting information in order to determine which parking spots are available nearby.

The sensors are resistant to vandalism, skidding, water and dirt, and last for at least three years in between battery changes.

Australian entrepreneurs, why not bring some much-needed relief to drivers? Such a system could be used in parking lots, retail settings and airports all over the country, not to mention at major events.