Fast throughput and economy of space are the differentiators for a brand-new fully-automated parking garage in Hoboken. Parkers drive their car onto a steel pallet, get out, insert a card in a slot and step back. The car is whisked away by Robotic Parking‘s patented system which uses a separate motor for each direction to achieve better reliability and redundancy, an improvement over older automated garages. A similar parking garage under an apartment building near the White House uses a system by SpaceSaver Parking. While robotic garages cost more to build, there are other savings besides space. Since the engines are never on and people don’t enter the garage, there’s no need to install a ventilation system, pedestrian elevators, fire doors or emergency staircases. (source: N.Y. Times)